A Monster's Suite in Transylvania
by kade32
Summary: Abraham Grey and his friends travel to Transylvania as a start of their vacation after the last year of college. Little do they know, that there is a castle housing the Dracula vampire family who has lived in isolation for years since the Night Attack.
1. Mavis's Story

**This story was inspired by a fanfiction author, ShinGojira2004 who was attempting to write a story called Hotel Dark Universe. Unfortunately, he eventually decided to drop out of that, so he left it up for adoption. At least I think he did. But he might continue his story, I'm not sure.**

* * *

It was finally done. The battle was one and the enemy has been defeated. It was all orchestrated by the prince of Wallachia, Vlad Țepeș III (given the moniker, Vlad the Impaler, due to his penchant for impaling his enemies with wooden stakes). Long ago, he was just an ordinary prince, ruler of Transylvania, Romania, until Mehmed the Conqueror, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, demanded a tribute of 1,000 boys for his Janissaries, including his young son, Îngeraș. When Vlad refused, the Ottoman declared a war among his people until his demands were met. Desperate for the safety of his family and subjects and knowing that he has a minimum number of solders against the Turks, Vlad rushed to the Broken Tooth Mountain to seek a greater power. Strong enough to fight his enemies and protect his people. The monster inhabiting the cave was the very first vampire ever recorded in history and is responsible for the entire race of vampires in general. For the Master Vampire was formerly known as Gaius Julius Caesar (or Caligula), a Roman emperor who made a Faustian blood pact with the Devil in exchange for immortality and power, but was cursed with an insatiable thirst for human blood. The Master Vampire bequeaths some of his blood to Vlad, turning him into a vampire for the next three days. If Vlad could avoiding drinking blood by the end of the deadline, he would return to normal. But if not, he would remain a vampire for eternity. Gifted with superhuman strength, senses, the ability to turn into a swarm of bats, a weakness for silver objects and so forth, Vlad single-handledly kills the Turk army invading his castle and leads his people to safety at the Cozia Monastery.

Although they eventually discovered his vampiric nature, they remained loyal to him. The following night when the Turks attacked, Vlad commands flocks of bats to attack back, but they were only creating a diversion while they other soldiers overpowered the monastery. Vlad's wife, Mirena, falls over the monastery wall and plummets toward the ground below while trying to defend Îngeraș. Vlad flew in the save her, but was too late; for she had already fallen to her death. With her dying breath, she pleads Vlad to drink her blood and he reluctantly does so, becoming a full-bloodied vampire and simultaneously freeing the Master Vampire from his curse. Afterward, Vlad turns the remaining survivors into vampires and lead into the Night Attack. But shortly after killing Mehmed, Vlad sacrificed himself and the vampires to the sunlight and was presumed dead, but was later revived by a Romani named Shkelgim. Îngeraș was crowned the new Prince of Wallachia. Vlad had turned his own son into a vampire and taken to drinking the blood of animals to keep his blood lust subsided. Days had turned into weeks and weeks turned into months and months turned into years and it was just Vlad and Îngeraș.

The lonely Vlad met two young human girls; village girl Martha Epureanu and widowed heiress Neza Pavlovici. Martha was the kind, but silent type, while Neza was rather feisty and somewhat demanding. Vlad was more interested in Martha, to which a jealous Neza planned to kill her to claim Vlad for herself. The tables were turned when Martha poisoned Neza's wine (which she drank at dinner) and left her body for Vlad to drunk as she was aware of his nature the whole time. Vlad and Martha fell in love and had sex later that night. Martha become pregnant with their child.

Îngeraș was displeased at first at having a sibling. Martha eventually gave birth to their infant daughter, Mavis Țepeș. Months later, a mob of angry villagers arrived at the castle to kills Dracula, but Martha gave Mavis to him and sacrificed herself to save her family. As the young girl aged, she adopted her father's surname as "Dracula", living in Castle Dracula with her father and half-brother. But their years of isolation didn't last long.

For outside their castle laid the supernatural realm. A hidden world full of monsters, demons, ghosts, witches, aliens, psychopaths and serial killers beyond the physical world of humans.

As most of mankind was aware of the existence of the supernatural and paranormal, Dracula increased the size of his castle to turn it into a safe haven for those who seek solitude and peace away from the humans. While Vlad left to explore the outside world, he met a girl named Mina Murray, who resembled Mirena. They dated for some time and when she found out that he was a vampire, she left him. Heartbroken, Vlad returned to his castle, but was eventually found by Mina. They reconciled and she offered her blood to him. She became a vampire and revealed that she actually was a reincarnation of Mirena.

But all the while, young Mavis wanted to see the world. And she knew that if she was old enough, she would find a place out there for her, to live in harmony with the humans and maybe, just maybe, find love.


	2. Present Time: 2017

The camera statics as it was just turned on. Once the screen functions properly and is put on record, we see the inside of a dorm room. The person behind the camera slowly walks toward, getting shots of the room all around, the movie posters on the wall (like Guardians of the Galaxy, Star Trek, Suicide Squad, Batman v. Superman), the clothes strewn about the floor and never picked up as well as some stacks of study books and sheets of paper and the bed with the blankets all wrinkled up in a mess. Whoever sleeps in this dorm is, without a doubt, not the tidiest person around. After the scanning of the dorm, the camera is then focused upon the one in the chair of the desk with his head down, fast asleep from all night of study. This shoulder-length black hair covered most of his face like a curtain as he snored softly.

"Well, what do we have here? The night owl in his personal habitat." A feminine voice whispered in a quiet, but teasingly joking manner as she "narrated" to the viewers. "It is said that they are nocturnal. Spending hours burning midnight oil on boring studies. I wonder what will happen during the mating season."

The snoozing boy snorted and stirred as he felt the person's presence before him, watching him sleep. He reached a hand up and rubbed the sand from his tired eyes with a groggy groan. The person giggled, while still filming everything and awaiting a reaction. As he was pulled out of the dreamworld, the boy mustered enough energy to open his eyes and see that he was being filmed.

"Are you seriously filming me while I'm sleeping?" asked the boy in a low, tired voice, but unmistakably had an noticeable amount of annoyance in it.

More giggling ensued. The person behind the camera was none other than a young girl with long black hair wearing a sleeveless light grey top with spaghetti straps, black pants and standing bare foot on the carpeting. Casey Cooke was the boy's roommate and was probably making a video for her YouTube channel. Abraham Grey was a devoted young student studying the field of parapsychology here at Samuel Adams Memorial University. He wanted to learn about the occult and other supernatural phenomena. His father was a self-proclaimed ghost hunter and television personality who filmed a show called Hunting for Spooks!, where he and his crew would travel to supposedly haunted places to record footage. The show was cancelled due to low ratings, as there was never any ghosts or anything out out of ordinary caught on tape. And so here Abe was, wanting to learn more about the paranormal.

"Have you been studying late again?" Casey asked while still filming.

"You know I have to study for this final exam for the last day." Abe gave a stretch to waken his relaxed muscles and bones as he explained.

"Graduation is tomorrow, you know." inquired Casey. "I'd hate to be the one to film your pouty face when you don't get you're diploma."

"You lie." Abe frowned at her, making Casey laugh mischievously.

"Little Mr. Know-it-all is gonna sob and cry to his momma. Then he'll have dear old Casey to look after him while he recovers." His roommate taunted in a babyish tone and gave him a playful pinch on the tip of his nose. He lightly smacked her hand away, but that didn't stop her from laughing.

"What time is it?" He asked, when his alarm clock suddenly beeped loudly, catching him by surprise. Now fully awake, he rushed over and checked to see that it was 8:00 AM.

"There's your answer." joked Casey.

Abe sighed, exasperated that he overslept from his constant studying. This assignment was just too important to ignore. He grabbed his jacket and some pants as he was in his underpants.

"Glad to know you're in your underwear. But you're lucky there aren't any girls in here." Casey cracked some more.

"Except you." Abe groaned.

"You've seen me in my underwear a few times. Aggravating as it may seem." said Casey sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"I'm not Chris."

"I know." Casey quipped. "Hey, listen, we'll head on down to the Tim Horton's across the street. Chris and the others are already down there."

"You know I don't drink coffee." Abe reminded her while putting his shoes on and picking up the papers on the floor.

"Come on, my treat." persisted Casey.

"Oh, alright." Abe relented. "Now, could you please turn the damn camera off?"

* * *

It was just a walking distance towards the Tim Horton's where the rest of Abe's friends were. Casey's boyfriend, Chris Washington, Rod Williams, Marcia Wyler, Claire Bemoit, Muhammad Ziegler, Waheb "Jackal" Quarjanary, Andre Hayworth and Tyler Orwelle. Abe and Casey were old high school classmates. Casey used to get into trouble a lot and get herself into detention just to be alone, though Abe never understood why. But that was until Casey, Marcia and Claire were abducted after Claire's birthday party. Their captor was a man diagnosed with disassociate identity disorder (DID) who had 24 separate personalities. One was the most dangerous and vicious out of the others and nearly invincible. Abe managed to take the law in his own hands that day and had help tracking them to the Philadelphia Zoo. Casey finally came clean when she revealed that after her father died, her uncle took her in and did terrible things to her sexually. He even molested her once when she was a child during a hunting trip with her father.

Chris is a nature photographer who dated a Caucasian girl named Rose Armitage. They went on a trip to visit her parents in their middle-class home where they had African-American servants. Although, something wasn't right. Rose's mother, Missy, a hypnotherapist, uses hypnosis on Chris to help with his smoking addiction. Not only that, but there was only one black person seen at the get-together: Andre, who was given a different look and went by the name "Logan King", married to an elder white woman old enough to be his mother or grandmother. As it all turned out, the Armitage's were a part of a cult called the Order of the Coagula, where they achieve immortality via brain transfer. They choose young black folk for reasons unknown and Chris was next. Luckily, Abe, with the help of Rod's tracking skills, they managed to locate Chris as helped himself out of his situation. Fortunately, Chris's lying girlfriend and her crazy family were never seen again. A flash from a camera helped snap Andre back to consciousness. But because he had a different brain, he was put in medial producers to patch him back up. It wasn't easy to say the least, but thankfully, Dre was back to his old self again.

Casey and Chris first met when she attended college and began dating. Chris able to trust Caucasians after that traumatic experience with his previous girlfriend. She quietly snuck behind her African-American boyfriend and covered his eyes.

"Guess who?" She asked playfully.

He chuckled, deciding to play along and asked, "Is it Casey?"

She laughed and hugged him from behind.

"You got it!"

"Did you get him up?" asked Chris.

"Oh, he's up, alright." She nodded and sat down next to him at the table. Abe, himself, sat at the table with all his nine friends.

"Morning, homie. How you been?" Rod asked.

"I've been up all night trying to study for that exam today. Like you wouldn't believe." explained Abe, shaking his head.

"I hope you don't fall asleep during class again." Marcia retorted. "You waste so much time writing down assignments, yet you never have time to party."

Abe just sent her a knowing glance before he continued, "Parties don't mean jack to me. Just a bunch of loud music and shit. People getting drunk and laid like it's nobodies business."

"I thought everybody wanted to try something new instead of the usual brand." Jackal exclaimed, reminiscing that wild, obnoxious party at Alpha Zeta Zeta, where Jackel brought cider and cabernet sauvignon, along with cocaine and played Weird Al over the speakers. Let's just say that party flew south for the winter.

"If you though cider and cocaine was a good party mix, you should different get an appointment for a therapist." Muhammad jabbed.

"Yeah, and Avery Smith had his hands all over me." shuddered Claire at that memory of being nearly raped.

"Too bad he isn't tough enough to handle me." Dre put his arm around Claire, who rolled her eyes teasingly with a smile and put her arm around him.

Abe shook his head at the subject of parties, drugs, sex, alcohol and the like as was not the usual "go-crazy-and-out-of-control" fun type of guy. He cleared his throat to get their attention while figured it was time to reminded them of his summer plans.

"Anyway, I have something big planned for after graduation tomorrow." explained Abe.

"Really?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah." Abe nodded in confirmation.

"How big is it?" asked Dre.

"Big enough. We're all going on a vacation to Europe." Abe told everyone.

Needless to say, they were all struck with awe at the news as a trip to Europe sounded like a hell of a time. But some of them wondered how he's able to afford a flight around the continent.

"Europe? For real?" asked Claire in a high-pitched voice filled with excitement.

"That's right. We're gonna start in Transylvania, Romania, then go around Paris, then to Spain, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Hungary, Greece, Turkey, Norway, then back to Transylvania and head back home the day after that."

"Wow." Casey exclaimed with both surprise and confusion. "That sounds kinda expensive."

"It it. But with my savings and salary, it'll be like buying candy at a candy store." Abe assured her.

"I can't believe it! Paris! The sights, the baguettes, everything!" Claire chirped with full excitement.

"Maybe I'll get to work on my French, among others." said Tyler, who was a linguistics student learning various types of foreign languages.

"But who's gonna look after my dog while we're gone?" Chris asked with worry.

"We'll drop her off at parents' house. They take good care of him." said Abe.

"Who will cover ma' shift?" asked Rod, since he worked at the airport and was a busy person.

"You'll have someone to cover it, right?" Muhammad suddenly asked.

"Yeah, but I'll need to look into it."

"Look, my point is that this will be an enormous opportunity for all off us to experience new places, right?" Abe asked his friends.

Jackal responded, "There's no excuse not to."

"How long will we be gone?" asked Marcia.

"It kinda depends on how much time we spend, but we'll be spending three days in each country. So that make it...33 days."

"33 days?!" Muhammad yelped with shock.

"Well, I've always wanted a longer vacation." shrugged Jackal.

"I don't know. I'll have to talk to my superiors about that." Rod remarked.

After it was settled, everyone left the establishment and went about their day. Abe, Casey, Marcia, Claire, Jackal, Muhammad and Tyler arrived at the building where their first period class were. While they were all very excited about their upcoming trip to Europe, Abe was still anxious about that exam coming up and hoped that he wouldn't fail. He sat in his seat in class where Prof. Ellen Ripley was giving her lecture. As a former Marine, nobody knows how she ended up in a place like this. But when the time for the exam finally came, he close to having a panic attack. Sweat dripped from his forehead and his breathe came in short pants. He wasn't to succeed this assignment. He wanted to make it through college. He wanted to have a good future. But he knew that fear wasn't going to get him anywhere, so he fought back the thought of failing and remembered his studies. After the exam was over, his final grade was 100%. He was glad to finally get it over with and not fail. And all that was left was graduation.

Long as he could remember, Abe was the overachiever of the group and sometimes saw himself as a nerd. But for a guy wanting to learn about the occult and how to deal with it, knowledge was the essence of discovery. Seeing Casey and Chris dating, he silent wished he had a girlfriend. No one ever wanted to date him. Maybe because he wasn't too well-focused on the real world around him. Perhaps on their vacation, he would find someone to love and have kids with someday and start a family.


	3. Welcome to Transylvania

The midnight moon blanketed the sky about the Romanian region of Transylvania. Everything was so peaceful and so very quiet. The people were all going about their business like it's nobody else's. Crickets were chirping and owls were hooting. But there was one thing that was left unclear to the citizen's knowledge. Sitting by itself on Mount Izvorul Câlimanului just 20 miles south-east of the Tihuţa Pass (also known as the "Borgo Pass") was the mysterious, enigmatic, spooky and extended Castle Dracula far away from the human population. If you were to search for it on the map, it would be nonexistent as it was it would be preferred as a "reverse-paper town". Inside of these stone walls, lived the mythological king of all the vampires, Count Dracula, formerly known as the Prince of Transylvania and the Voivode of Wallachia, Vlad Țepeș III the Impaler, cursed to become a vampire with increased thirst of the blood of humans if he wasn't drinking from animals instead. He lived with his wife, Mina/Mirena, his firstborn son Îngeraș and his youngest daughter Mavis. The Dark Prince was waltzing down the castle corridors, filled with rooms accustomed for monsters like him, but especially for those outside of his own species. Vlad suddenly frozen in place as he felt his senses hit an alarming rate. He sensed visitors at the door and he knew exactly who it was.

"Well, well, well." Vlad mused softly to himself before his body morphed into a flock of bats that flew down the hallways with lightning speed before landing in front of the castle entranceway and turning back into Vlad once again. Once he opened the door with his superior strength, there stood a small number of his newfound friends who were all monsters. There was Adam, a grotesque simulacrum who was created by a mad scientist named Dr. Victor Frankenstein, composed of dead human tissue. Eve, Adam's mate who as also created by Frankenstein. King Imhotep, an ancient Egyptian mummy who was one a priest to a pharaoh and his wife, Princess Ahmanet (well, Queen Ahmanet now), who had long black hair, pale skin, a plethora of Egyptian death prayers decorating her skin and face and each of her eye pupils were split into two. Dr. Jack Griffin, a scientist who had given himself invisibility, granting him the advantage to do whatever he pleased and never get seen. And there was Lawrence Talbot, a meek English man who was cursed with lycanthropy after being bitten by a werewolf.

"It's so nice of all of you to come." Vlad greeted his fellow monsters.

"Send your thanks to Imhotep for the transportation." said Eve as the whole group entered the castle, except for Lawrence who just stood there shaking and stuttering.

"Is everything alright, Mr. Talbot?" asked Vlad, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

Before he could answer, Lawrence started writhing and convulsing uncontrollably as his bones cracked and changed along with his entire body. He grew black fur, hind legs, sharp claws and a wolf-like face complete with a snout. His pained yelps turned into a howls once his transformation was done. Lawrence Talbot was now the infamous Wolfman who darted past Vlad into the castle. Vlad closed the door and lead everyone into his master bedroom.

"So how is little Mavis doing?" Ahmanet asked the vampire king.

"She's been a tad lonesome lately. She wants to go out and see the outside world." Vlad explained while lying on his back on the bed.

"Then let her." encouraged Adam, placing a book back on the desk after examining it. "It's not like anything horrific while happen to a brave young soul like her. She's old enough to make her own decisions."

"I agree and as much as I want to allow her departure, I just don't believe it's that simple." replied Vlad with a sigh, mentally cringing at the thought of letting her go early. "She's going to be 118 come the next Monday and sometimes I worry that one day, she'll end up in the wrong situation. What if the humans want nothing to do with her and aren't ready to expect creatures of the night like us? It's just about protection or safety, but the value of family."

"She won't be your little girl forever." inquired Ahmanet as she sat on the bed and placed her hand onto Vlad's. "There come a time in every parent's life when they have to grow out of things, especially when it comes to letting their children go and become independent."

Breathing an exhale, Vlad sat up on the bed and look at her in her split-pupiled eyes. "I know immortality can be a curse sometimes, but she's my child. Her and Îngeraș." He got out of bed to go look out his open window to view the night. "Perhaps if maybe Mavis were to visit the humans for one day and come back alive and well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt. I sacrificed everything to safe my people, my Mirena and my son. My humanity and everything. Doing the same again won't be a walk in the park."

"And will Mirena be alright with this?" Imhotep asked almost immediately.

"If Mirena is strong enough to let Mavis leave on her own terms as much than I am, I cannot argue." answered the Prince of Darkness.

That's when he sensed more visitors at the door and it wasn't human at all. There were more monsters and creatures and psychopaths arriving at the castle as well. "There's more guests arriving. Take care of them or me, won't you? I have to go have a word with my daughter."

Vlad shifted from vampire to bats again and disappeared out of the room and on his way toward's Mavis's bedroom, leaving the other monsters behind in confusion. They had no choice but to tend to the rest of the guests while Vlad had a father-daughter conversation with Mavis. While the group went to offer the rest of the guests entrance to the castle, Vlad stood in front of his daughter's bedroom door. He stood there contemplating whether to be frank with her or sugarcoat the truth. But he needed to be a reasonable parent and should know when lie to his young offspring. Now was not the time. He carefully gripped the doorknob and slowly opened it, entering his daughter's room and slowly and delicately as he could. There was his little girl in her black short-sleeved dress, smooth black hair, black stockings with red stripes and red Converses. This girl shared a love for the Goth subculture and the entire look of her just screams "drop dead gorgeous". She just typing away on her phone, texting some friends. Ever since technology was first created, Vlad thought about adding a router with some wifi connection. Quite frankly, Mavis's room had the only good service as the wifi everywhere else in the castle is obsolete. But Vlad had no use of computers or touch-screen phones and tablets or vehicles. Mavis was really into the modern day phenomena, even though she's never seen it in person. Vlad approached his daughter's bed and gave it a few taps, making Mavis look up from her phone.

"Oh, hey, dad." Mavis smiled at him, turning her phone off to focus on her father. "What's up?"

The vampire king sighed thoughtfully before he gained the courage to speak.

"Mavis, sweetheart. You remember how you've always wanted to explore the world when you were younger?"

"Yeah. I've been talking about for a long time." Mavis nodded her head quickly. "I can't stay cooped up in this castle forever. I got to get out at some point in my life.

"Well, I'm not certain how to put this, but maybe it's time you did." Vlad reluctantly replied.

Mavis suddenly lit up like a Christmas tree when he said that. Her eyes widened like dinner plates, full of excitement and hope. Her father never agreed to let her explore, until now.

"Really?! For real?!" shrieked Mavis in utter disbelief, but hoped for the best.

"But just for tonight, understand?" Vlad then retorted sternly, still fearing for her safety. "If you make it through on your own without getting hurt or anything of the sort and that you've enjoyed it, I won't stop you in the future. But if not, then you should know how important is for me to look out for you."

Mavis breathed a heavy sigh and started downward with defeat, saying, "Okay, dad. I understand."

She sprang up from the bed to pack some things in the blink of an eye bring with her on her little expectant trip around the world. Vlad was confused as to why was packing her things as if it was time for her to move out. After a few moments, Vlad finally stepped into the madness to stop her before she went too far.

"Woah, woah, slow down, dear." He firmly gripped her shoulder, snapping her out of her ecstatic reverie. "Is it really necessary for you to pack so many things?"

"Well, yeah. I just thought I could use a couple of things while out. There's this magnificent place in France called Paris. There's just so many things to see. Fashion, landmarks, baguettes-"

"France is miles away, Mavis. And I said just for tonight, which means you can't stay out for very long."

The desperate Mavis groaned with despair as she was really hoping for this moment her entire life.

"I know, honey. You really want to visit new places like Paris, but you're just not ready for that sort of merriment. But don't worry, that day will come sooner than you think. Just not now."

"Okay, dad." She nodded with disappointment.

"The town is not too far from here. It'll be a good place to start for now." Vlad told her.

"Well, it's not Paris, but I guess it'll have to do." shrugged Mavis, putting her things back where she found them while Vlad started for the door.

"And take your brother with you." He ordered.

"Îngeraș? Oh, come on, dad! I'm not a baby anymore! I can look after myself!" Mavis protested, a little peeved at being treated like a child.

"You cannot go alone. You need to have someone by your side. You can't always fend of yourself, you know." Vlad said back in a scolding manner.

"Fine." She rolled her eyes with a childish groan.

"I would hate for you to get hurt before your birthday next Monday."

"I got it." confirmed Mavis before her father left the room to tend to the guests. Mavis flopped on her bed with an exasperated exhale. As much as she wanted to see life outside of her castle home, this was just not what she was expecting. But she couldn't go against her father's wishes.

* * *

Meanwhile, downstairs was becoming a circus. There were many scary creatures, freaks, monsters and serial killers; some were humans, but they still had a place with the monsters. There were thousands upon thousands of monstrous beings. Countless, even. Some of them were having trouble getting along as not a lot of them knew each other. The rest of Vlad's friends have arrived. There was Dr. Jekyll, a human scientist who created a serum that transforms him into his psychotic, malformed alter ego: Mr. Hyde. The Creature from the Black Lagoon (nicknamed "Kaa"), a 300,000-year old amphibious, humanoid fish creature from the Paleolithic age that dwells in the Amazon River. Erik who was locally referred to as the Phantom of the Opera, a corporeal spirit whose ugliness was most devastating that he concealed it with a white mask. But he never frightened Christina Daaé, a girl he fell in love with in the past. Quasimodo, a deformed, hunchbacked man who served as a bell-ringer of the Notre Dame Cathedral in France, raised at infancy by the cruel Monseigneur Claude Frollo. And there was a fellow hunchback by the name of Igor, who once served Dr. Frankenstein after his time in a circus freak show. Among the denizens of paranormal folk, there were too many to count. Each one with a different story to tell.

Vlad, Imhotep and Ahmanet were approached by a man with burnt skin, wearing a red and green-striped sweater, a fedora and a glove with knives on each fingers, giving it the look of a claw. Freddy Krueger was a demonic spirit with the ability to enter the dreams of his victims and can bend reality in said dreams to torture and kill them. When he kills them in their dreams, they die in real life. In life, he was a child molester who worked as a gardener at a preschool before the parents of the students he molested chased him down to a warehouse where they burned him alive.

"The name's Freddy Krueger, sir." He greeted while holding his clawed hand out for a handshake.

"Nice to have you hear, Mr. Krueger." Vlad hesitantly shook his hand and quickly retracted his own hand after a few seconds. The knives were made of silver. Freddy pointed at a man who was staring at a large shield on the wall. The man wore a dirty hockey mask and ragged clothes and was clutching a machete. Jason Voorhees was a young camper at Camp Crystal Lake who suffered a face deformity and was probably mentally retarded as well. Poor Jason drowned in the lake while the counselors were too distracted to help or even notice. His mother, Pamela, was outraged at their negligence that she killed them all left and right before she was killed herself. Jason returned from the dead as mass murderer, dispatching young campers with his machete.

"That big dumbie over there is Jason. We fought dirty once. I almost won." Freddy cackled maniacally.

"Yes, indeed." Ahmanet nodded, albeit confused.

Vlad left and fell upon a small group that consisted of a Japanese woman with pale skin in a white dress, had long black hair and a deadly look in her eyes, a goat-like being with curled horns and bark-like skin, a bald man wearing black leather and his face covered in pins and there was a dead-looking woman who wore Victorian Era garments and white hair in a bun.

"Welcome to Castle Dracula. In case for those who don't know me, I'm Count Dracula." Vlad introduced himself with the best pleasantry he could muster.

"Salutations, my lord." The possibly satyr-like man greeted as he took a bow and faced him. "It is indeed a real treat to be here."

"And you are?"

"I have many names. I am a Faun." acknowledged the Faun. "But feel welcome to simply refer to me as Pan."

"Pan." Vlad repeated with thought. "Perplexing."

"こんにちは。 私の名前は佐伯佳子子。" commented the Japanese girl in her native tongue. There was no language barrier between her and Vlad as he taught himself various languages over the years.

"Kayako Saeki." said the King of the Vampires, translating her words. "I can undoubtedly tell white the talkative one."

She gave him a fishy stare as if he said something to offend her.

"You'll do quite fine here." He affirmed to her.

"私は私の小さな男の子、Toshioと一緒にいます。" Kayako proclaimed before turning her gaze over to a young shirtless, pale boy with black hair. "私たちがどこにいても、何年も前からありました。"

"Where I hold dominion, it's purely not a sight to behold." The bald man stuck with pins interjected with a British accent. "Pain and suffrage are what we thrive on. All that matters is the mutilation of human flesh, the spill of blood and the agonized screams. I'm formally known as Elliot Spencer. Now I go by Pinhead."

"Pinhead. I could see that was an obvious choice of name." remarked Vlad. "What exactly are you?"

"They call us angels, others called us demons. But we are what are known as cenobites. Somewhere in between." Pinhead answered. "And may I inquire, Lord Impaler, that castle as sturdy and most exquisite such as yours could not possibly bring much to a human's imagination and curiosity."

"I'm most pleased, Pinhead." Vlad thanked. "But that is not my name anymore. I am Dracula, Son of the Devil."

"Mary Shaw is my name." That's when the Victorian woman chimed in. "Are you familiar with my poem?"

"Can't say that I am." Was Vlad's answer.

"Beware the stare of Mary Shaw. She had no children only dolls. And if you see her in your dreams, you must not scream. For she is taking revenge upon all." Mary intoned her poem for only the first few lines. "There's a lot more after that, but I don't want to bore with my aspects."

"I'm actually know a poem myself called Life & Death. It's my wife's personal favorite." added Vlad.

"Oh, I can see she and I share a lot in common." Mary crowed.

On the other hand, Adam was tending to some guests when he happened upon a strange red book on the floor. Curious, it picked it up and on the cover, red "Mister Babadook" with a black silhouette-type symbol in the shape of a person with spiky hair, a top hot and the longest, gangliest-looking fingers ever. The book was very thick, but it wasn't too heavy. It was a pop-up book. He's heard of these before. Where it looks like the events happening in the story are coming to life. If you want to believe that.

Turning to the first page of the book, he read, "If it's in a word or if it's in a book, you can't get rid of the Babadook."

Then all of the sudden, a figure jumped right out of the book and landed on his feet on the floor. It wore a black coat and top hat. His face was drained of colors and had the biggest, widest and the creepiest toothy grin. Not to mention his fingers were long and skinny. He looked just like the symbol on the book's cover.

"Hiya, mate." He began with an Australian accent, tipping his hat to Adam. "I'm the Babadook. But you can call me Mr. Babadook."

"You come out of a children's pop-up book?" asked Adam holding the book.

"That's not scary enough?" asked Mr. Babadook rather slyly, raising an eyebrow. "I can possess the human form and even exacerbate grief by turning loved one's against one another. Go on, then. Read some more. I'm enjoying this."

Adam flipped through the pages of the book; it was written in a poem, as are most children's book are nowadays, depicting a little boy's bedroom who is visited by the Babadook himself to terrorize the young child. If a child was reading this, he or she would've slammed the book shut in abject terror and descend from sanity in seconds. But Adam was a strong-willed type of person. So, instead, he just closed the book after getting bored reading it and tossed it to it's owner.

"I've seen better." He remarked walking away.

"You'll see, bloke. You will see." vowed the dissatisfied Mr. Babadook.

And on the get-together went. Various other monsters were either conversing, arguing or trying to prove who's better than who. Monsters weren't famous for having steady relationships. Lawrence was changed back into a human which the help of Imhotep's magical powers. Lawrence was uncomfortable at the moment. Being around non-humans beings was difficult. The man was just walking around, eyes shifting all around, looking from monster to monster, hoping to find a place to be alone. The pressure was weighing him down. To make matters worse, his brain became overwhelmed with traumatizing memories of his days as a werewolf. When he changed for the first time and slaughtered millions of innocent people. When he was institutionalized after being considered crazy and that was the day his father revealed that he murdered his mother on cold blood. When he confronted him at his family home, his father revealed that he too is a werewolf and they both fought to the death, ending with Wolfman decapitating him out of revenge. Lawrence finally entered the throne room, where it was quiet as a mouse. Lawrence took a load off on the main throne with a relieved sigh.

"Bats in the belfry?" A sultry feminine voice laced with honey asked seemingly out of nowhere.

Lawrence jumped with fright, to which he fell out of the chair and onto the dusty, stone floor. His head turned to where the source of the voice was and there he saw a beautiful, voluptuous woman sitting in the throne on the left. Her skin was of a light and smooth shade of caramel, her hair was long, straight and darker than the night sky and she was clad in only a black-reddish bra and panties. Lawrence felt his face grow hot when he saw this woman, who merely giggled at his reaction.

"Looking for a place to be alone, azúcar?" asked the lovely girl seductively. "Well, so am I."

"I don't want to be near anyone." Lawrence groaned.

"You don't need to afraid of me. I don't bite. Much." She chuckled that infectious giggle. "I am Santánico Pandemónium. I am the queen of the vampires."

"I thought Mirena was the queen of the vampires." replied Lawrence.

She laughed and said, "I come from a separate race of vampires. Ones with the looks that you will not find bonita. I'm the queen of my own vampires. So what kind of monster are you?"

"Better you don't know." Lawrence said curtly and left it at that before he stood up to find somewhere to be by myself.

"Ooh, playing hard to get, are we?" teased Santánico. "We may have something in common after all. If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm always available."

Lawrence looked back at her and she gave him a wink and a smirk in response. He gulped and sweated before he left the room. Vlad left the get-together a minute a go to check up on his wife in their bedroom. Mirena was just playing her violin delicately, letting the music drift softly into the air like feather flowing gently on the autumn breeze. Vlad stood quietly, fondly enjoying her music before he cleared his throat. Mirena stopped playing to find her husband in the room with her.

"You know, all of our friends are here and we have guests downstairs." Vlad said as he walked up to her and hugged her from behind.

"I know." She sighed. "But you know I'm not comfortable around strange creatures like them. I mean the guests, by the way."

"Sweetheart." reasoned the Count. "Just because they aren't like us, whether they are a monster or a human, doesn't mean that they aren't our allies."

"Won't Mavis's birthday be a little crowded? I mean, she barely knows anybody here. She doesn't have any friends." Mirena hypothesized, voicing her concerns.

"As long as they stay true and loyal to our hospitality, nothing can go wrong." Vlad explained to her.

Mirena put her violin and bow on the floor and stood up to meet her husband eye-to-eye. Vlad could see the worry in her eyes.

"I just miss being around humans. My music is all I have to fill that void of emptiness." She expressed. "Don't get me wrong, being a vampire isn't too bad, but I just wish to could get out more."

"Well, that explains where Mavis's desire to explore comes from." Her husband said as a sly joke.

"Okay, I'll go help tend to the guests and get everyone settled." Mirena told him with a smile, ignoring his wittiness. She left the room to head downstairs, not before telling him, "And make sure Îngeraș keeps a watchful eye on Mavis, so she doesn't do anything foolish."

"Mavis knows better, darling." He addressed before she was gone in a flash, leaving him alone in his thoughts. His eyes fell upon a portrait of him and his family. There was a 12-year old Mavis with Mirena's hands on her shoulders. It filled Vlad's heart with sorrow that his little girl was growing up and not very young anymore. He gingerly placed his fingers on the painted canvas of the portrait and basked in his memories and then he thought to himself. How was he gonna handle without Mavis around when she's older? What if Mavis comes back enjoying her time in with the humans that she'll want to leave? Will he ever see her again if she does? So many questions, yet so little answers. Vlad knew that he couldn't keep her or Îngeraș in their castle forever, but it was only necessary. He sighed and shook his head.

"What am I to do?" He asked himself.

* * *

 **Translation:**

 **こんにちは。 私の名前は佐伯佳子子。 ("Hello. My name is Kayako Saeki.)**

 **私は私の小さな男の子、Toshioと一緒にいます。 ("I am here with my little boy, Toshio)**

 **私たちがどこにいても、何年も前からありました。 ("It's been many years since we've been anywhere together.")**

 **azúcar ("sugar.")**

 **bonita ("pretty.")**


	4. Graduation Day

Mavis's form in the shape of bats flitted over the commune of Saschiz, which was only 4 miles away from the castle. It was quiet and quaint little place; not a lot of activity going on there. Îngeraș was not to far behind her. Mavis landed in the cobblestone road once she returned to her normal form and gawked at the area surrounding her. Building with such blindingly beautiful architecture and the roads lit with street lights. Mavis could just scream with delight right now. Here she was, finally outside of the castle and standing right in the middle of a human village. It was like a dream come true. Her brother looked all around and there were some humans around, but none of them seem to notice or perhaps care that they were vampires. In fact, it took a keen eye to differentiate vampires from humans. Mavis jumped for joy, unable to contain the fuzzy feeling in her chest.

"This is so exciting!" Mavis cheered. "I'm finally outside!"

"Calm down, now, Mavis." informed Îngeraș, placing his hands on his baby half-sister's shoulder. "We don't want to attract too much attention."

"Right, right. Sorry." She apologized, brushing her bangs with a look of embarrassment painted on her face.

"Now let's not linger here for too long." Her brother looked all around and kept his eyes on the night sky. "The sun will be coming up shortly. So I suggest-"

But when he turned his head to gaze upon her, she was already gone. He looked all around, starting to worry that he had lost her. But then he finally caught standing at the gates of a fortified church. He sighed with both relief and stress. That girl just can't stop her own curiosity. He approached her while she was observing the building from the gates. Unknown to their knowledge, an unnatural presence was watching them from a far distance, unseen and unheard.

"Why is this place surrounded by stone walls?" queried Mavis.

"Come on, little sister." Îngeraș urged, grabbing her arms and pulling her away with him. "Please do not just slip away while I'm not looking."

"Hey, I'm just exploring. You don't need to babysit me." She argued gently.

"I was told to keep an eye on that's what I will do." He reported stiffly, folding his arms. "If you want to explore, that's fine. But only with my permission."

"Pardon me?"

The two Dracula siblings saw a young human woman next to them.

"Are you two new in town?" She asked with a Romanian accent.

"No, ma'am. We're just visiting." answered Îngeraș.

"I see. Well, I wouldn't dwell outside at night for too long. Some say that sinister forces lurk around here, waiting, watching, listening." She informed with a slight warning before walking away from them. "May the Lord be with you."

Îngeraș looked at his sister, to which she gave him a pleading look, almost begging him to let her go look around. It was his job as the older sibling to look out for his younger sister. He just couldn't say no to that face.

"Very well." He sighed. "But don't wander too far, understand? I'll only allow this once."

"Thanks, bro." Mavis chirped and hugged him tightly.

And with that said, she just took off to meet more humans and she felt like she belonged somewhere else. Îngeraș shook his head as her cheery and perky nature, but could almost laugh. While Mavis was checking out a clothes shop, Îngeraș suddenly felt something move behind him. But when he looked, there was nothing there. He sensed something off about this and there was someone or something watching them. Looking at Mavis, who entered the clothes shop, he slowly followed the direction he was sure that presence was hiding. It lead him down an alleyway. So far there was nothing around that Îngeraș found peculiar. He suddenly stopped he heard a noise. It sounded like a voice. It was a faint whisper. But it wasn't coherent. Soon, he found himself surrounded by a mist that came seemingly out of nowhere. Confused and a little unnerved, he looked around to see he was alone. Then he heard the whisper again and once he turned, he immediately stood frozen like a statue and his undead heart skipped a beat. Down the alleyway just a few meters from where he stood, a dark, shapeless figure was standing there motionless. It looked like man, but it was too dark to see any of his features. There was only a pair of white, glowing eyes staring back at him. The figure didn't seem at all human. It just stood there, staring directly at Îngeraș with it's unblinking, pupil-less eyes, not moving a muscle.

Although he was vampire and he had powers to defend himself, words could not describe the fear Îngeraș felt right now. He jolted right around in there other direction and tried to run, but all of the sudden, the figure behind him zipped right in front of him within seconds. Îngeraș stopped in his tracks and ran down a path to his right to escape the amorphous thing. But before he knew it, he ran directly into a wall and fell to the ground. He groaned as he rubbed his head. As his vision cleared, there was the figure again. Îngeraș gasped and got back to his feet, backing up against the wall. As the figure got nearer and nearer, he looked around for a place to run to safety, grab Mavis and scram the hell out of there without looking back. The figure was now so close, that Îngeraș got a clearer look at it's features. It looked like some sort of spirit made entirely out of dark mist, but he wasn't see-through. What on earth was he? Then, the most disturbing thing happened. Whoever or whatever that thing was, spoke in a deep, spine-chilling, masculine voice laced with a British accent that sounded like a gasping whisper.

"Abraham Grey." He spoke.

"What?" Îngeraș responded, shocked and confused.

"A human boy named Abraham Grey will be arriving here tomorrow night." said the shadowy creature.

"Who and what are you?" asked Îngeraș.

"You will know in time. All you need to know is that I am a conjuration of what children fear the most. I am the cloak of childhood fears. And soon, I will become the downfall of Abraham Grey's sanity." The figure responded as his dark voice echoed out.

"Who is Abraham Grey?"

"Someone who's dreams I used to haunt when he was a child. But when he matured, he no longer feared me."

"Are you him? Are you the Boogeyman?'"

"I am." The figure nodded in confirmation before he put a clawed hand around his throat gently. "No listen carefully, Îngeraș Dracula, tomorrow night, Abraham Grey will arrive in Transylvania. But he will not be alone. He will be coming to Castle Dracula and when he does, deliver my message onto him. Darkness will come for him and his deadliest fears will be his undoing."

Îngeraș gulped and sweated with fear as the Boogeyman explained, feeling his hand tighten gently around his neck.

"Will you tell him that? Please?"

"Yes." nodded Îngeraș. "Yes."

"You shall speak of this to no one." instructed the Boogeyman. "Deliver my message and this never happened. Do I make myself clear?"

The eldest vampire nodded quickly in response as he retracted his hand from his throat and just like that, the Boogeyman disappeared into the shadows and the mist was gone as well. Îngeraș took some time to ponder what has occurred to him. The legendary Boogeyman approached him and asked him to deliver a message to a human who is coming to the castle. How will everyone react? But Îngeraș would stay true to his word.

"There you are!" Îngeraș jumped and noticed Mavis standing there. "I was afraid you had flown off back to the castle without me.

"I would never do that." He blurted.

"Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost." She asked, noticing how unnerved he looked.

"I'm alright. I was just...I just thought I saw a rabbit." He lied.

"A rabbit?" We're in the middle of a village." Mavis demurred.

"Never mind that. Come on, we should be heading back to the castle. It's going to be daylight soon." Îngeraș dodges any more questions and turned into bats, taking off into the air. Mavis looked concerned. She wondered why he was asking strange all of the sudden. But she didn't press the subject and flew off after her brother.

* * *

"Elsa Young!" shouted Dean Hugh Edwards.

"Arnold Cunningham!" He shouted again and the audience applauded.

Today was the day. It was Graduation Day for the entire campus and everyone was in their academic dresses and caps. The Dean was now calling out to the students who have earned their degrees. Muhammad, Jackal, Marcia, Claire and Tyler were already on the stage as they've already been called on with the rest of the graduates. Abe was a part of the ceremony, standing in the audience with Casey and the rest of the soon-to-be graduates, clad in his dress and cap. He turned around nervously to see his parents, his older brother, Joshua and younger sister, Delilah. They all waved at him and smiled. He waved back as best he could, hiding his nervous thoughts behind a fake smile.

"Nancy Thompson!" Everyone cheered and clapped as she went up on the stage. On this went, students being called upon the stage and receiving their degrees.

"Sally Hardesty!"

"Mia Allen!"

"Sidney Prescott!"

"Wolfgang Von!"

"David Johnson!"

"Casey Cooke!"

She sent a delighted grin to Abe and she marched up there to join the others. More names were called and the crowd went practically crazy as they walked up on that stage. Now, Abe was not one to panic over the smallest things, but it's times like this when he has to just say to himself, "It's not easy being smart". His thoughts were disrupted by the Dean's voice over the microphone.

"Abraham Grey!"

If angels existed, they would be singing right now. Because Abe felt his heart pound with joy as the went up onto that stage. Once he had gotten his degree, he stopped to pose as his mother snapped a photo of him with his degree. After the ceremony was over and all the families were getting ready to leave, Abe, Casey and the rest met up with Chris in the campus fields.

"Wow, congrads!" Casey gave Abe a crushing bear hug.

"Oh! Okay, thank you!" He wheezed from the girl's tightening hold on him before she finally let go of him.

"Nice job up there." Claire congratulated.

"Thanks. You too." smiled Abe.

"Well, I usually had help with my studies, but I guess that counts." Marcia shrugged her shoulders.

"Europe or bust?" asked Tyler hopefully.

"Well, it's 11:00 AM now and our flight won't arrive until another fifty minutes. So we'll have plenty of time to kill." Abe declared, checking the time on his watch. "And if the others would just hurry the fuck up-"

The sound of a car honk made everyone looked to see a van pull up to them, which said "Away to Europe" on the side in blue paint, making everyone chuckle. Chris was behind the wheel and Dre was in the passenger seat. Chris rolled down the windows and smiled.

"Everyone go well?" He asked.

"It sure did." Casey grinned.

"So how is this gonna work? We just gonna go straight down to the airport?" asked Dre.

"Pretty much, yeah." said Abe while he and the rest climbed into the backseat. "My family is gonna meet us there to wait with us at the terminal."

"Aw, yeah. If only my family were there too." Chris said as he started driving to their destination.

"So, uh, does anyone have anything they'd like they bring along?" asked Abe.

"I did bring along some of my best clothes and makeup." Claire chittered with mock-snottiness.

Marcia chuckled with a roll of her eyes and shook her head.

"Hopefully, there will be some English-speaking civilians in Europe. I'd hate to use Tyler as our translator the whole time." Muhammad remarked slyly.

"Hey, you need me more that you need Google Translate!" He countered.

"You keep believing that." teased Dre.

* * *

They finally made it to the airport in time and it was only 1:00, which meant that they had only 30 minutes left before their plane arrived. Abe had their tickets and passports checked at the check-in desk, since he had enough money in his salary. The group of friends put their luggage in the baggage claim after they made it through the scanner and met with Rod by the transit lounge, who was off-duty. Abe's family was there as well.

"This is the first time you've been on vacation with just your friends." Matthew, Abe's father, replied.

"I hope you all enjoy yourselves." Abe's mother, Ellie, giggled and hugged her youngest son. "It's gonna be tough without you around."

"I know, mom. I'll FaceTime you whenever I need to. That is if I know you're awake because it'll probably nighttime here while it's daytime in Europe." Abe told her.

Joshua came to his little brother and said, "If you ever get to Italy, there's an old friend of mine there named Innocenzio Pellegrini. We used to work on cars together during my time there. If you ever see him, tell him I said "Hi."

"I'll do my best." Abe said with a chuckled and hugged his big brother.

"Don't worry, Mr. and Mrs. Grey. We take good care of him." Casey reminded the parents, putting an arm around him.

"I sure hope so." acquiesced Ellie.

"All passengers for the plane to Transylvania, Romania, your flight as now arrived." said the woman over the intercom.

"Well, that's our cue. Bye now. We'll see you in a few weeks." Abe said, grabbing his bags and taking his phone of the charger and took off with his friends toward the gate. His family waved back as they departed and boarded the plane. Once all the passengers where in their seats and placed their luggage into the compartments above, the captain announced the safety check and began the takeoff. The plane rolled across the tarmac and Abe watched outside the window as the plane increased speed and power on the turbines on the runway and ascended into the air and disappear into the clouds in the sky. Everything in Abe's viewpoint was bright as they were now above the clouds and close to the sun. It was going to be a long flight across the Atlantic Ocean over to Transylvania so Abe put in his earbuds to listen to his music, while it was in airplane mode.

* * *

Vlad descended down the steps to where the rest of the guests were to find his son and daughter. They were supposed to be back at the castle minutes ago. Just when he was about to panic and try to leave to go see what was keeping them, the main entrance doors opened and the swarms of bats flew in and right in front of Vlad.

"What took you two so long? I said be back by 4:00." Vlad scolded strictly.

"Sorry, dad." Îngeraș tried to explain himself. "We kind of got held up. And I was trying to look for Mavis after she ran off..."

"I know you aren't speaking truthfully? Now what happened?" demanded the Count.

"It's kinda hard to explain, but Mavis got to see the village and everything."

"We're any of you ambushed or anything of the sort?" asked Vlad worriedly.

"No, nothing bad happened." Îngeraș confessed carefully and cautiously, while keeping his encounter with the Boogeyman private, hoping his father wouldn't notice.

Vlad seemed satisfied enough with his answer and flitted over to Mavis to check up on her.

"Hey, dad." Mavis greeted with her usual perky grin.

"Well, was it satisfactory enough to you, my dear child?" Vlad asked her, while expecting to good answer from her.

"Yes! It was even better. I never knew the humans would have such breathtaking fashion sense and taste in architecture." chirped Mavis, giddily. "And I think I can until I'm older to leave the castle."

"That's all I wanted to hear." Vlad nodded and disappeared up the steps in bats form.

"You went out to the village?"

Mavis looked down to see a living doll with blonde hair a white dress and a black leather jacket. Tiffany Ray was the wife of Charles Lee Ray, better known as Chucky, a serial killer who used voodoo to transfer his soul into the body of a Good Guy talking doll. He soon met up with Tiffany when she was still human and killed her to transfer her soul into her own doll body.

"I sure did." The vampire girl nodded. "And it was the most fun. Well, not entirely. But it was still worth it."

"Hmm." hummed Tiffany. "Well, alright. But just a little word of advice. I would try not to get your hopes up too much. Things won't always go well for you in the future."

"I'll...I'll think about that, Tiff."

The doll woman left to go find her husband somewhere in the crowd. Ahmanet came to Mavis and put her arm around her shoulder.

"Why, there's that almost birthday girl. So did you enjoy yourself outside the castle?" said the mummy queen.

"Yeah, of course. The humans didn't seem afraid of me." Mavis smiled.

"Now where's the fun in that?" asked Ahmanet, raising an eyebrow. "I know how to strike fear in mortals' hearts with a blade piercing through warm flesh."

"Thank's for that gruesome image." Mavis gently thanked, though grossed out by her words.

"Please, Ahmanet!" Eve gripped, yanking Mavis away from her while bringing the girl into an awkward embrace. "We're not here to make humans fear us or want to kill us. We just here to celebrate little Mavis's birthday next week. Humans have there own rights and lives. Hell, even I used to be human as well as you and Vlad and Adam and most of us here."

"For Ra's sake, Eve." groaned Ahmanet as she rolled her split-pupiled eyes. "You know how it is with me."

"I'm sorry, but "For Ra's, sake?" Eve repeated with a somewhat mocking, but confused voice. "Since when does a pharaoh princess driven insane by power under Set's influence want anything to do with Ra?"

"You guys, you guys! Please!" Mavis chimed in, breaking up their argument. "I know I wasn't born a mortal human like my dad and brother were, but that doesn't mean I want to sympathize with them."

"I respect that. I really do." stated Eve, patting her on the head.

"Uh, Mavis?" Îngeraș broke in before the Bride of Frankenstein say anymore and pulled his sister away from the crowd to speak with her in private. The two went upstairs into his room and he closed the door behind him. Once he was certain they were out of earshot, Îngeraș began in a quiet tone.

"I don't wish to alarm you, but I hear tell of that we're going to be having a visitor tomorrow."

"Well, what's wrong with that? We have tons of visitors now." Mavis said, not getting it.

"It's not like that and it not going to be anything supernatural or psychotic. It's going to be a regular, normal human." He whispered.

Mavis gasped with shock, "An actual human is coming to the castle? Is it anyone we know?"

"No. I'm not sure who it is, but he'll also have some others with him." Îngeraș said.

"Who told you this?" asked Mavis.

"Nobody important." answered Îngeraș quickly, eyes darting side to side. Mavis was confused by his behavior, but pushed it aside for now.

"Uh-huh. And is this human going to kill us all?" asked Mavis with concern and fear.

"Not to my knowledge, but it's unlikely to happen." Îngeraș responded.

"How do you think dad will react?"

"I don't know. But maybe all will go well if we just make his and his friends' acquaintance. And hopefully prove that monsters aren't as dangerous or frightening as the mortals are led to believe." said Îngeraș. "...in some way."

"Do you think dad will be okay with this?" asked Mavis.

"Okay with what?" They both turned around with shock and fear when they saw Vlad standing by the door.

"How long have you been standing there?" Îngeraș asked his father.

"I just got here." Vlad said before he got serious. "Now what is it you two are speaking about? Is there anything I should know?"

"We just thought that maybe we could add some more modern music and dancing techniques to the party next Monday." Îngeraș explained untruthfully, covering up his tracks.

"Yeah, with balloons and lights and stuff." Mavis added, nodding her head.

"Hmm, I always thought these parties would use a little modern touch nowadays. Very well, then." Vlad said and left them alone. Making sure that he was far gone, Îngeraș turned to his sister.

"Let's try not make a big deal out of this, alright? We don't want to cause any mass hysteria." He convinced.

Mavis pondered this and knew he was right.

"Got it." She nodded.


	5. Here Comes the Humans

Abe had already nodded off to sleep after about 15 minutes of the flight. Claire and Marcia were just listening to their tunes while Rod was chowing down on some snacks from the snack cart. Tyler and Chris were both watching _ParaNorman_ on each other's screens. Muhammad was sitting in a row inches behind the row Jackal was seated in and they were causing bit of a scene by playing a game of catch to ease their boredom, using a crumbled up piece of paper as a football, annoying their fellow passengers around them.

"Get ready for a headshot, bro." called Jackal as he tossed to his friend a few rows behind him who caught with ease.

"'Big Man' Ziegler is ahead of 29 and 31." Muhammad threw the "ball" back to Jackal. The flight attendant was called upon seconds ago and was trying to deal with the situation.

"Uh, sir? Can you two please not do that?"

Her desperate pleas came upon deaf ears as Jackal threw the wad of paper back, but it flew out of Muhammad's catching zone and it landed directly into a man's face, who was sitting on his right. The man has some scars on his face, messy dark brown hair, a blue collared long-sleeved shirt and had only one biological hand. The other looked to be made of metal. The game had be over then and there, because they were already making nuisances of themselves and they didn't want to cause any more trouble. Muhammad grabbed the wad of paper and placed it into his empty cup.

"Sorry about that, buddy." He apologized, hoping for no hard feelings.

"Were you two raised in a barn? This is an airplane, not a playground." The man grunted in annoyance.

"I'm sorry. We were just bored."

"That's what these are for." The man pointed at the screen in front of him.

"Children, these days." piped an older man with white hair sitting next to the window.

"I'm just excited about getting to Transylvania." Muhammad replied. "I hear there's a lot of vampires there."

"That's a load of bullshit." griped the younger man in disbelief.

"Uh, how are you?" asked Muhammed.

"You and I ain't friends, pal. But my name is Ash Williams." greeted Ash in a pompous manner.

"Yeah, fine, whatever." Muhammad shook his head, feeling that having a conversation with this guy was a lost cause. The older man turned to face Muhammed with an unchanged face, making him feel on edge. He didn't know why, but something about that man seemed familiar.

"You look familiar. Have we met?" asked Muhammed curiously.

"If we did, I would've greeted you as if we were longtime friends." He replied in that low, disturbingly eerie tone of his, which only made the sinking feeling in Muhammad's stomach worse. But he tried to ignore it. Meanwhile, Casey, who was seated next to Abe, looked out the window to see that they were getting close to their destination. It was nighttime now and she got a view of the lights below. She gently poked him awake and he let out a groggy moan and rubbed his eyes.

"What?" He asked.

"We're getting close to landing." She affirmed.

"Already?" said Abe and she nodded in response.

"All passengers, this is your captain speaking. We are beginning our descend into Târgu Mureș, Romania. The temperature is a pleasant 25 degrees fahrenheit and estimated time of arrival is 9:35. It is now 8:58 PM in the afternoon. At this time, you should have your phones and other cellular devices set into airplane mode as it will disrupt our communication with the tower. Thank you."

It was a good landing in the Târgu Mureș International Airport in Târgu Mureș, Mureș County, Romania. The entire group got off the plane and walked through the airport in hope. The view of the city was amazing as a start.

"So how are we getting to Transylvania?" asked Tyler as they carried their luggage through the crowd towards the main entrance.

"We're in Transylvania." said Abe obviously.

"But we're in the city of Târgu Mureș." Jackal confirmed.

"Transylvania is a region, not a city." corrected Dre.

"We'll just temporarily rent a car and, once we've had our fun, we'll catch the next flight to Paris." Abe announced to his friends with a fuzzy feeling of excitement in his chest.

"I don't understand how you're able to afford all of this." Casey expressed with a little amount of doubt. "I mean, riding on planes from country to country, that's an ass ton of money."

"Let's just say I work an important job during college." He said and left it at that.

Abe rented a big car to hold all 10 of them. They were left with a big van. It wasn't anything new that they were used to, but it wasn't too shabby either, so it would have to work. They drove down the country road for what seemed like hours and everyone was getting tired so they found themselves a nice hotel to stay at for the night. After some debate, they got three rooms. Casey decided to room with Marcia and Claire, Tyler, Muhammad and Jackal got the second room and Abe was left with the third one with Chris, Dre and Rod. Once the sleeping arrangements were made, they planned to travel up north to visit the Castle Dracula in the mountains. Muhammad woke up late that night with the need to pee. After draining his bladder, he noticed that the door was left unlocked. He sighed, knowing how Jackal usually forgets to lock his door at the dorm. Not only that, but he was afraid that a stranger might sneak in and steal their valuables. As he went to shut the door, he hear footsteps. Which was odd, considering that the man at the front desk mentioned that the inn didn't get very much visitors and the group were the only ones present. Against his better judgement, he slowly and quietly tip-toed out of the room and into the dark, barely-lit hallway to find nobody. At this point, he should've ducked back into the room and tried going back to sleep, but he didn't. He kept walking and walking to see who else was here. It was all dead silent. So silent that the only sounds being made were the small, gentle creeks the floor made from each step Muhammad took. Then all of the sound, he jumped when he heard was sounded like loud, maniacal laughter. He ran back to the room, shut the door and locked it. He quickly, though quietly hopped back into bed and put the covers over him, trying to fall asleep. Jackal, sleeping in the other bed, stirred in his sleep.

"Take the trash out, damn it." He muttered in his sleep. "Thank you."

* * *

Vlad passed some of the guests through the corridors as most of them accommodated themselves in their rooms and made themselves at home. Shkelgim, who was Vlad's assistant after so many years, was busy feeding a shape-shifting extraterrestrial parasitic organism known only as "the Thing". The creature crash-landed on Earth circa 100,000 years ago in Antarctica. The spacecraft it arrived in was found by a Norwegian crew of an outpost where it picked them off one by one. Apparently, this "Thing" takes the form, personality and memories of whatever living life-form it assimilates, including humans.

"You're really picky, aren't you?" Shkelgim asked rhetorically while offering the Thing as piece of dead lamb, which it greedily snatched from his hand with it's large, gaping maw and munched on, making Shkelgim yanked his hand back with fright.

Erik was having a regular, normal conversation with a group of guests. The group consisted of the Creeper, an ancient demonic creature who awakens every 23rd spring to devour human organs and body parts for 23 days to replenish it's own body. It's searches for the right body part it needs by sensing the fear in it's victims. It also gets it's name from the song "Jeepers Creepers", which it is played once it's near. There was the Djinn, which is also known as a "genie" to some, another ancient demon of Islamic and Arabic mythology which the boundless ability to make mortal's desires and fantasies become reality in the most gruesome way possible. He collects the souls of his victims after each wish. Years ago, he was imprisoned in a fire opal by Zoroaster. And there was a pagan Babylonian deity, Bughuul; an eater of children's souls who appears into the real world from his netherworld via images of himself.

"It's quite a hootenanny, wouldn't you all agree? All these strange, yet enigmatic people coming here together. I do enjoy the exuberant and mirthful merriment." Erik expressed while holding a glass of chardonnay.

"We're not people, Erik." The Djinn retorted.

"Well, so?" yapped the infamous Phantom of the Opera. "It never hurts for a little fun and music all around."

"That we can agree on." replied the Creeper. "I know a good song that might lift your wings."

"Is that so? Well, perhaps, you can sing it for us once the party on Monday arrives." Erik explained, sipping his beverage.

"Party, you say? I've never had this merriment you say in generations? What exactly is a party?" asked Djinn confused.

Erik thought about how to explain it, but the Creeper beat him to it before he could utter a single syllable.

"I believe it's a social gathering where people come to enjoy themselves. There's music, dancing, food and booze." He explained.

"Such questionable knowledge you have, Demon of Florida." remarked the malevolent genie of the east. "But I hear tell of that Lord Impaler, Son of the Devil, isn't quite familiar which events such as these so-called "parties"."

" _Assujettir le jugement_." Erik rebutted offhandedly. "Allow me to remind you all that the following week will leave me saying 'I told you so.'"

"Pardon me if I change the subject. What do you have under that mask of yours?" asked the Creeper wryly.

" _Informations classifiées_. That's for me to know you to find out." spat Erik. "You take a look and you'll wish you hadn't."

"Was that a threat, Frenchie?" The Creeper hissed, marching foward ready for a fight, when the Djinn held him back.

"Try a warning." Erik corrected and looked towards Bughuul who, unsurprisingly, hasn't spoken a single word the entire time. "What about you? You have a say in anything?"

Because the Sumarian-worshipped deity had no mouth, it was impossible for him to perform verbal communication. He really no simple response to give at all, so he just shrugged.

"Quite little bugger, huh?" asked Erik.

Meanwhile, Mirena was coming down the stairs with Ahmanet, who decided to help you out with meeting witht he crowd of people she barely knew. Without a doubt, the Vampire Queen was nervous about this whole ordeal, but she needed to be strong. For Vlad and for Mavis.

"I know it's hard adjusting to newer folk, but this is Mavis's birthday we're talking about." Ahmanet explained, holding the vampire woman's hand.

"Well, it certainly is an obstacle, I'll admit that." Mirena confessed.

The two met back up with their friends, who were glad that Mirena was finally out of her room.

"Glad to see you're here, Mirena." Imhotep said.

"I'm glad to see you all too." Mirena smiled and hugged the mummy king in a friendly embrace. "It's been quite a while, hasn't it?"

"If only I couldn't written to you all." responded Adam.

"Why didn't you?" asked Mirena.

"Long story." He answered with.

"Oh. Well, anyway, we've got so much planned for our little girl's 118th birthday next week. I barely know where to begin."

"May I suggest a traditional group dance from Egypt?" suggested Imhotep.

"I'm an expert belly dancer." Ahmanet backed him up while giving a slight example of said dance, which was quite hypnotic, courtsy of the way she moved her curvaceous figure. But Mirena wasn't too impressed and knew there had to be something new.

"Oh, poppycock! There has to be a dance that everyone can join in on and enjoy!" Mirena spat with distain at their ideas. "But it's getting to be nowadays that certain dances are getting too outdated and obscure."

Mirena breathed a stressed-out exhale and rubbed her head.

"A chance of scenery never hurt nobody. Perhaps some music that's not intrumental or classical."

"You know, Mavis has been going on about the music of the modern days. Remember all those songs she likes to listen too? Alternative rock, country and...others?" Dr. Griffin replied with an understandable solution.

"What about those young singers she likes? What were they?" Eve asked, rubbing her forehead in thought. "Ke$ha, Gwen Stefani, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus. She listens to a lot of songs these days, it's tough to keep track of these people."

"What about this Cactus Evergreen person?" Erik asked out of the blue.

"That's Katniss Everdeen and she's a fictional character in a post-apocalyptic novel." Imhotep corrected him with annoyance.

"But does she sing? I forget?" asked Erik, shaking his half-empty glass of chardonnay.

"You're drunk, Erik." Eve grabbed his glass away from him, knowing he's too intoxicated right now before returning her attention to Mirena. "Look, the point is that we should probably modernize for this party."

"I'll have to agree. But If only Vlad were here to understand that." Mirena said.

A loud crashing noise from somewhere in the castle interrupted their conversation and they all knew that few of the guests were roughhousing, which would lead to some damage.

"I'll deal with this." Adam sighed and trudged away to see to the commotion.

* * *

 **Translation:**  
 **Assujettir le jugement. ("Belay the judgement.")**  
 **Informations classifiées. ("Classified information.")**


	6. The Road to Castle Dracula

The group was now eating lunch at a local café. They had just driven further down the road and stopped to get something to eat. Muhammad kept quiet about what had happened the previous night at the hotel because he was still shaken about it and he didn't want his friends to make fun of him because of it. Of course, that sounded ridiculous now. He was sure there was a mentally insane person in the hotel that night. Or possibly a rapist or something much worse. But none of that mattered right now.

"How much longer do we have to drive to get there?" Casey had to ask.

"It should be a couple more miles." Abe explained, looking over the map they were using while sipping his coffee. "We should be there by 8:10 PM or less."

"You know I hear that there's a lot of vampires in Transylvania. Especially in Bran Castle." Rod said in a hushed whisper, as if he was afraid there were someone spying on them.

Marcia rolled her eyes and teased, "You watch too many movies, Rod. Besides, that's Bram Stoker shit."

"Francis Ford Coppola never lies, my friends." Rod remarked, much to Marcia's annoyance.

"You never know when there could be some sneaking up at night ready to suck blood from your neck." shrugged Jackal tauntingly with a sly grin on his face.

"Shut up, Jackal!" Claire laughed and gave him a shove.

"I can suck your neck anytime." Dre gave a mock snarl and playfully nibbled on her neck, making her squeal with delight and try to wiggle out of his hold.

"That's enough, you two." Casey rolled her eyes with a smirk.

"Anyway, we're gonna be doing some mountain climbing when we get there." Abe said and pointed at one part of the map, making his friends lean forward to get a closer look at what he was pointing at.

"Mount Izvorul Câlimanului?" Muhammad read and began to feel skittish. "I-I've never climbed mountains before in my life. I'm kind of afraid of heights...and dying."

Abe rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Don't worry. We'll be right by your side. It'll be a brand new experience. Not every new experience can be entertaining."

"So we meet again."

Everyone looked at Ash Williams, the same man from the flight, standing next to them. Muhammad recognized him almost instantly as if it was completely obvious. The thing that caught them off guard was that he was carrying a chainsaw with him.

"Sorry, I was just stopping by and I couldn't help but overhear you kids about visiting this Mount...something, something place." He explained with a sort of air of arrogance radiating off him each time he spoke. "Around here, they say that there's a castle sitting on that mountain away from civilization."

"Who the fuck would build a castle all the way up a mountain?" asked Tyler.

"The hell should I know?" Ash yapped cynically. "There could be ghosts haunting that castle or maybe a secret Satanic cult. If you ask me, I bet 20 bucks on the latter. Spoiler alert, I've dealt with Satanic and demon crap before and it ain't pretty."

"Uh, yeah." Abe stuttered nervously, not feeling comfortable with the strange man.

"This guy's name is Ash Williams." Muhammad chimed in. "He was sitting next to me on the flight."

"Yeah. And you must be the guy who was playing catch on the plane with your buddy." Ash shot back.

"I was in on that, bro. My bad." stepped in Jackal.

"Why were you two throwing a piece of paper around anyway? That's my question." Claire demanded, crossing her arms and giving the duo a strict glare. "You know you could get on the no-fly list that way, right?"

"We got bored as hell, alright?" Muhammad complained.

"None of that matters right now." remarked Ash. "What I'm trying to say is that I'd like to tag along with you guys to this castle up on the hills."

"We weren't planning to visit some castle, if there even is one. We're just going to do some mountain climbing." explained Abe.

"Yeah, yeah, I get that. But I was invited to come to the castle for some reason and I need some help getting there in one piece if you don't mind." Ash said.

"Why the fuck would someone summon you to some old castle in the high mountains that shouldn't even exist?" asked Chris skeptically.

"That's what I'm trying to find out!" Ash shouted, getting impatient. "So are you gonna help me or not?"

"Look, we don't have enough room in our van." Casey explained, hoping he would get the message and leave.

"No worries. I'll be riding with him." waving off her statement, Ash gestured towards the older man who was also on the flight with them. The same man who was giving Muhammad that same vibe as if he knew him from somewhere. "He says his name is John Kramer."

Muhammad muttered the name over and over to himself, deep in thought as he tried to remember.

"Fine." Abe rolled his eyes. "But make sure you're away from us afterwards."

"Hey, I wouldn't want it another way myself." Ash held up his hands in mock surrender.

Unknown to them, they actually were being watched from afar. For standing on the other side of the road at another cafe, a mysterious bald man was watching them, but mostly Casey, Claire and Marcia, with a hard, focusing stare. He glared at the once person who shot at him with a rifle. This was the man who abducted Casey and her two friends that day. The man, formerly known by his birth name, Kevin Wendell Crumb, was known for his 24 separate personalities. It was like there were souls of various people living inside his mind. One of his personalities is on you certainly do not want to cross. Two girls sat next to him as he continued his spying. The brunette was named Genesis and the blonde was named Bel.

"Anything?" He asked them with a monotone, still keeping his eyes on the group and not even looking at the two girls.

"They said they were going to go mountain climbing on Mount...I forgot the name. And something about an old castle. That's all we know." Genesis explained.

"Mount Izvorul Câlimanului." 'Dennis' corrected and finally looked at them both in the eye. "And what about that Hispanic-looking fellow there?"

He was pointing at Abe and the two girls were giving him sour looks.

"That's that boring Grey kid from the same college we go to." Genesis rasped. "He's always studying and never partying."

"How is that a problem?" asked 'Dennis'.

"Duh." Bel rolled her eyes. "He's an idiot. He's more focused on doing his work than having fun. He even refused to have a threesome with us."

"Yeah, he totally blew us both off. What a jerk. So now we want nothing more than to watch him suffer and we'll be laughing when that happens." Genesis agreed.

"You two have serious issues." 'Dennis' shook his head and arranged his teacup in a perfect fashion.

"Shut up. You're the one with the issue, pal." Genesis bit back unrepentantly, but then the man of many identities suddenly gripped her wrist tightly and yanked her close to him, forcing her to come face-to-face with him.

"I'd watch what you say, young lady. We are a lot more powerful than you think. So don't push your luck." 'Dennis' released her, making her sit back down and wince as she nursed her sore wrist.

"So, anyway, what's your beef with that Casey girl?" asked Bel gently, now suddenly afraid of him.

"Me and her go along way." 'Dennis' explained in a grave tone. "We kidnapped her and her friends to have them sacrificed to the Beast."

"And what is the Beast?" asked Genesis.

"A symbol of humanity's evolution. A great danger to anyone it comes across. Casey gave us this." 'Dennis' pulled his shirt down from the collar to reveal a scar from the bullet wound.

"Holy shit!" Bel shrieked.

"The Beast nearly have them all devoured when that nosy little runt came in and foiled everything. Taking them away from us. Nothing will stop what needs to be done." said 'Dennis'. "The unbroken have what the broken do not. Pain, misery and suffering. They have no place in this world."

"I'm not unbroken." Genesis denied.

"Me neither. I've lived a pretty dull life." agreed Bel.

"We go around punishing married men who cheat on their wives by having sex with them and torturing them afterwards." intoned Genesis.

"Whatever." 'Dennis' rolled his eyes.

* * *

So the group reluctantly allowed Ash and John to come along with them on their mountain climbing trip. They got back on the road with the two older men driving behind them as they continued their way over to the town they were heading for. It was like a four minute drive and the car was quiet for the rest of the trip as they felt a little uncomfortable having two strangers come with them. As Abe predicted, the time was exactly 8:10 and it was already dark when they finally made to their destination of Saschiz, it was still as quiet and inactive as could be. There were a few villagers around going about their business and the decor and buildings were quite a sight.

"Is this the place?" asked Tyler.

"Yeah, this is is." Abe answered with a nod of his head and saw the church as he drove. "So this is a pretty obscure little town. Not much going on here."

"Maybe they're just not fond of tourists." Rod suggested.

"Or maybe it's the vampires." Jackal joked and laughed, making everyone groan.

"Hey, cut the bullshit. We're not in the mood for fairytales and folklore." Chris remarked. "We're just here to have a good time. That is if those two guys don't ruin it for us."

Abe looked in the rearview mirror and saw them still tailing behind them. These two men seemed really persistent. Minutes later, the group found a place to stay for the night. The motel they found was a letter more exquisite and inviting than the last motel they stayed at. The group planned to start mountain climbing in the morning, but Ash insisted (or rather forced) that they start mountain climbing immediately as he claims that whoever wants him to come to castle wanted him to come at night. The group protested that it would possibly be dangerous to climb a mountain at night, but Ash wasn't going to take "no" for an answer. John came along with them to help find them a guide to lead them up the mountain. They decided to eat some dinner first before they head up the mountain. While they complained that they won't be awake long enough to climb the mountain. They found a local pub to eat at where they met their guide, Dragomir Focșeneanu.

"So you want to climb the Mount Izvorul Câlimanului, correct?" asked Dragomir. "In the middle of the night?"

"Yeah, exactly." Abe nodded. "I mean, we were planning to do it in the morning, but these two men are forcing us to do it now. Ash over there is trying to find some old castle up there and we don't exactly know why."

"Old castle, you say?" repeated Dragomir, hoping he heard him correctly.

"Yeah." Everyone nodded.

"I know it sounds pretty crazy, but we're really trying to get these men off our backs. So-" Marcia began to explain.

"No, no. It's not crazy at all." Dragomir assured. "In fact, they saw that the dead roam the darkened halls at night and if anyone were to sleep in the castle overnight, they would never return to tell the tale."

"Well, we're not really full believers in that sort of thing." said Claire.

"Actually, I've been studying parapsychology in college. And a little bit of the occult. So I actually know a thing or two about ghosts or goblins or fairies." explained Abe.

"Then you would also know about the bloodsuckers that come out in night?" asked Dragomir.

"I've never actually seen a vampire before, so I wouldn't know for sure." Abe shrugged.

"Well, nobody, not even me, has ever climbed that mountain at night before and survived. It takes anyone with eligible bravery and defense to reach the top of that mountain. Believe me when I say, that castle is real and if you enter that castle, you'll never come out again. But if you do, forget everything you saw and move on with your live." explained Dragomir in a hauntingly serious tone.

"We'll certainly keep that under advisement." Rod nodded.

"Ever heard of the story of Vlad the Impaler?" asked Dragomir, changing the subject.

"Yeah, we've heard of him." Abe answered.

"He's the guy that inspired the character Count Dracula." replied Dre, with Jackal nodding in agreement.

"Many debate that Lord Impaler was Count Dracula himself." Dragomir stated firmly. "Many years ago, legend has it that Lord Impaler was a dangerous tyrant who impaled his victims with wooden stakes, hence the namesake, and dip his bread in their blood, much like a vampire."

"Ew." Claire grimaced with disgust.

"And one day, Mehmed the Conqueror came to claim 1,000 boys of Wallachia to train for his future armies. Refusing to surrender his subjects, Vlad made a pact with the Devil to safe his people, but was turned into a vampire. After picking off the Turks one by one, Vlad finally killed Mehmed in the Night Attack before finally taking the moniker "Count Dracula, Son of the Devil". Modern folks today say that he died in the sunlight, which is a vampire's weakness, while some argue that he isolated himself away from the humans and fed on the blood humans on a nightly basis."

"Damn." Muhammad crowed. "I'd hate to be that guy."

Chris suddenly turned his attention away from the conversation when he saw a red balloon floating steadily towards the main entrance. Now this was quite strange. Where exactly did that balloon come from? And why didn't anyone notice the balloon as it floated past them. The door opened when another customer entered and the balloon floated outside, not even the customer laid his eyes on it when it floated by him. Suddenly curious about this, Chris wanted to see to this, but what would he do?

"Chris, are you okay?" Casey asked, cutting him off his train of thought.

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine. Listen, I need to deal with something real quick. I'll be right back, okay?" Chris suddenly stood up from his seat and headed out the door.

"What's gotten into him?" asked Abe, confused.

"He probably just needs to make a phone call." Dre replied.

* * *

Once outside of the pub, Chris looked around for the red balloon and finally saw it floating down the street. What was even more strange is that it didn't float upward into the sky like every other balloon. It just floated down the block as if it were being dragged by an unseen string or something. The curious Chris followed after the mysterious balloon and it lead him down the street where it disappeared behind him trees. Narrowing his eyebrows in disbelief and confusing as to where it could've gone, Chris was ready to head back to the pub and forget this ever happened. But then a voice stopped him before he could depart.

"Hiya, Chris." The voice was coming from a storm drain. He looked down to see no one there. But who could be down there, he asked himself. He got on his knees and leaned down to get a closer look down into the storm drain and suddenly, a pair of eyes stared back at him in the darkness. Chris jumped back, but stayed where he was. The figure came out of the darkness to reveal itself as a man dressed as a clown.

But the funny and goofy-looking clown that you would normally see. This clown had a rather frightening look to him. He had pale skin, whiter than a sheet of paper, an abnormally large forehead with red hair that was spiked upward. He was wearing some sort of white Renaissance outfit complete with a frill around the neckline and red balls on the chest. He had red lips, revealing buckteeth and a red lines starting from both ends of his mouth and going up over his eyes, forming a sort of "U" shape. Chris stood there on his knees, staring back at the strange man in the sewer with silent awe. What was a clown doing in the sewer? The clown smiled from ear-to-ear back at Chris.

"Aren't you gonna say 'hello'?" The clown asked.

"Uh...hi? How do you know my name?" Chris asked with a slight stutter in his voice, feeling a sense of dread as he felt like he should be talking to this man.

"I know a lot of people. I'm Pennywise the Dancing Clown." The clown, now named Pennywise, introduced himself with eery suavity; that haunting smile still painted on his lips.

"Well, hi, Pennywise." Chris greeted back, still unnerved. "What are you doing down there? How did you get down there?"

"Fell down a well a while back. No one's found me ever since." Pennywise answered.

"Ouch. Bet that hurt." Chris winced.

"Well, I'm not hurt anymore. But you already figured that out." replied Pennywise.

"Yeah, I did." Chris nodded and hurt a familiar sound of music coming from somewhere inside of the sewers as it reverberated off the walls. "What is that? Is there a circus going on down there?"

"Oh, yeah." Pennywise nodded. "A big, fun circus for all the children."

"In the sewers? Won't it reek?" asked Chris.

"Not if you have air freshener or if you're used to it." Pennywise affirmed. "I'll bet you've enjoyed the circus before."

"Yeah, I have." Chris nodded, remembering his days of visiting the circus with his parents. "I used to be afraid of clowns as a kids. But I got used to it overtime. I actually found them funny."

"Well, you're most certainly going to enjoy me more, won't you?" Pennywise said. "You like popcorn? Possibly the elephants, lions and tigers and bears?"

"Oh, my." replied Chris almost jokingly, to which he and Pennywise share a good laugh. Until Pennywise started starting silently at Chris with a predatory gaze, much like how a cat would before it's ready to pounce on it's prey, making Chris rather nervous.

"I think I better get back to my friends." Chris said, ready to leave.

"Oh, yes. Of course. Return to your buddies, little Chris. But just a little reminder. They all float down here and you'll float, too." That smile grew even wider and wider until Chris thought his head would break in half. The smile was now an even more unpleasant, toothy grin.

"Okay, bye." Chris quickly got to his feet and quickly walked away back to the pub. Pennywise's eyes followed him as he left before disappearing back into the darkness.

* * *

Dragomir was leading the group up the mountain. They were all wearing special mountain climbing gear and equipment, coats as it was freezing up there, hiking sticks and headlights to see in the dark. Abe silently wished he had planned to start with Paris first. Chris kept quiet about his encounter with Pennywise, but Casey was worried for her boyfriend as she sensed there was something wrong. It was getting a little windy and the night dark didn't help at all.

"Not much longer, my friends." Dragomir called back to the group.

"Oh, man. This is so painful." Jackal whined as they hiked further up the mountain.

"Try to keep up. And stop your bitching already." Tyler jabbed at him, annoyed by his complaints.

Abe was feeling something around his neck as they pressed on and Casey suddenly took notice before she looked at him with curiosity.

"What do you got there?" She asked just as Abe pulled out a rare golden necklace from underneath his coat. The necklace look ancient, yet almost new. And it had the church cross on it.

"Oh, it's just some antique necklace that some old guy gave to him before we got up here." He said, gingerly holding it between his fingers before putting it back into his shirt so it wouldn't get blown away. "He said it would protect me from evil spirits or some shit."

"That's weird." Casey said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, but I just couldn't turn down the offer. It's a pretty nice souvenir." Abe piped.

On they pursued the trail up the mountain and they were now climbing up the mountain using ropes and their gear to make their way upwards. Muhammad was shivering the whole time and when he poked the mountain wall with his hand, it slipped and he nearly lost his grip before Rod held onto him and helped him regain his balance.

"I'm in my dorm. I'm in my dorm. I'm in my dorm." He repeated quietly to himself with his eyes shut tight, trying to forget his fear and pretend he was somewhere else.

"Muhammad, look at me, man." Rod urged and he obeyed. "Stay with me, okay? You're not going to die. It's going to be already. Just whatever you do, don't look down."

He nodded his head with a whimper and continued climbing with his friends.

"You can almost see the top? Can you see it, Jackal?" called Claire.

"All I can see is your ass." retorted Jackal.

"Oh, very cheeky." She rolled her eyes in response. "Then why don't you look elsewhere then?"

"No I don't have a problem." Jackal shook his head, grabbing onto a rock in the wall.

"Well, look down and tell me what it looks like." She replied.

Jackal hesitantly looked behind him to see the view of the town below them. The lights illuminating in the nightly darkness, making it a beautiful sight to behold.

"Hey, I can see my house from here!" He shouted with that dopey grin on his face, making Claire roll her eyes and shake her head with a smile.

"You know, if there is a castle up on this mountain, we should probably take some pictures. Because no other soul has ever seen this castle before." Casey told Abe as they climbed.

"You heard Dragomir. There has been some people to have seen this so-called castle, but never came back to tell about it." Abe answered back over the wind.

"I wouldn't be too surprised if we do find that castle and there's nobody in there." Chris joined in. "I mean, who would want to live in a dusty old foundation way up in the mountains above ground level anyway?"

"It's a mystery." Dre confirmed.

"If only my parents could see me now." Abe shook his head.

It was only 2 minutes before they finally arrived at what they all assumed was the top of the mountain itself. Everyone panted from the hard work of getting up there and rested for a moment to catch their breath and their energy. Abe and his friends all looked at bright view of Saschiz from down below and took some pictures and they even took a group photo together with Abe's phone.

"Wow, it's so beautiful." Casey marveled at the sight.

"Are we really at the top?" asked Chris.

"Well, this is as far as I can bring you all. It's kind of dangerous to be up here in the dark." Dragomir warned.

"How are we gonna get back down?" asked Muhammad, afraid of the answer.

"Don't worry, my friend." Dragomir gave him a comforting pat on the back. "As long as I am here, nothing bad will happen."

"How comforting." He shivered.

"Hey, there's a trail over here." called out Tyler as he was further up ahead of the group.

"What?" asked Abe as they rest of the gang caught up with him when they found the trail as well, leading somewhere into the mountain.

"Someone outta give you a gold metal." Ash patted him on the head and started down the trail while everyone watched him go, unsure of whether to follow him or not.

"Should we go with him?" asked Marcia.

"Probably." Rod shrugged.

Against all of their options, the party followed after Ash down the mountainous trail to god knows where. Meanwhile, from afar behind them, the shadowy essence of the Boogeyman was watching them from high above the rocks. Once his eyes played upon Abe, he chuckled darkly and his sinister laughs echoed into the night. A couple of minutes of hiking later, the group was still following after Ash and Abe was feeling a little tired.

"I wish I've never made this trip." He groaned. "We should've gone to Paris first."

"Calm down, Abe." Chris told him with utter assurance. "I know this wasn't what you were planning, okay? But we'll just keep going a few more miles and if there isn't a castle like they say there is, then we'll turn back."

"Good, because I'm gonna need to get some shut eye when we get back." Abe remarked nonchalantly.

"Likewise." Jackal said.

"If we ever get back home, I should write a book about all this. That is if we ever do get back." breathed Abe.

"What do you mean "if" we get back?" asked Claire.

"I'm just afraid is all." confirmed Ash.

Just then, John approached Muhammad as he has been very quiet the entire hike.

"Something on your mind?" He asked the younger man.

"Nothing in particular. But what if there are vampires living here like Dragomir said?" asked Muhammad with fear in his voice.

"Vampires are nothing, but myth. It takes a keen, mature mind to understand those facts." John explained with an unfamiliar sound of wisdom.

"So why are you here? Did someone summon you to this castle, too?" asked Muhammad.

"As a matter of fact, yes." John responded. "I received a letter written in an ancient handwriting."

"I see." nodded Muhammad, mentally wishing this conversation would end. "You know, I know you don't know me and I don't know you, but I feel like I've seen you somewhere, but I can't put my finger on it."

"How come you can't remember? Was it long time ago? Were you drunk when this happened? Or are you just going insane?" asked John with an unchanged face.

Muhammad didn't feel like answering after that, so he just dodged the question and remained silent the entire time.

"Oh my god, I've found it!" Ash shouted from up ahead.

Everyone rushed over to see exactly what he was looking at with widened eyes of shock and mouth agape all around. There it was in all it's glory. Castle Dracula. There actually was a castle in the mountains after all. It looked spooky and very old, something you'd expected from an ancient castle like this.

"I don't believe it." Abe said with disbelief, early surprised and shocked as his friends were.

"It is real!" Claire gasped.

Ash rushed down the cobblestone bridge up to the castle doors with John following behind him in a walking pace, leaving the rest of the group standing there and gazing up at the old foundation.

"Should we go in there?" asked Muhammed. "I feel like we should go in there."

"I don't think so." Tyler shook his head. "They said you'll never leave that place if you enter."

"That's a lot of bullshit." Marcia spat, refusing to believe such malarky. "It's just an old castle. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Well, Ash and John finally found what they were looking for. So we should probably be heading back to the motel." Abe suggested cautiously. "And besides, we shouldn't even be here."

All of the sudden, before any further decisions could be made, storm clouds rolled in out of nowhere and lighting flashed, along with the clap of thunder. Then it started to rain very hard, causing everyone get get drenched. They needed to find shelter immediately.

"Come on, everyone." Dragomir lead everyone across the bridge to join up with Ash and John.

Everyone ran down the stone bridge like there was no tomorrow, desperate to get out of the rain as they tried to cover themselves, but to no avail.

"This is so stupid." Abe muttered as they rushed down the seemingly endless bridge, when he noticed something behind him, that made him stop. As soon as the lightning flashed again, Abe could very briefly discern the dark figure of the Boogeyman standing at the very end of the bridge looking back at him. Abe didn't know who or what it was and it confused him. The Boogeyman suddenly disappeared once the lightning flashed again. Casey rushed over to him and grabbed his arm.

"Abe, come on!" She shouted and dragged him along with her.

* * *

 **And here is another chapter to the story. The two girls sitting with 'Dennis' were the two girls from the 2015 horror movie, Knock Knock. So now that Abe and the gang have found the Castle Dracula, what will become of them when they meet the monster inhabiting it? Find out soon in the next chapter.**


	7. Humans in the Castle!

All was going well at the castle with the guests having enough fun in the foundation. Most of them were getting along and getting to know each other, while some rivalries die hard. Adam had to make sure Freddy and Jason weren't trying to tear each other apart, this man from a place in Texas who wore a mask made from the skin of human faces and wielded a chainsaw brought his equally strange and sadistic family along with him and they had to remain in their room until further notice. It wasn't because they weren't trusted, but it was only a precaution. There's this massive, shapeless, indestructible and sentient mass of extraterrestrial goo everyone could only refer to as the "Blob". It was kept in a room with no air vents or drains. No one wanted to be cleaning that pink goo out of the pipe system. Ghosts also roamed the castle walls. You can easily see them hauntingly floating above the ground.

To name a few, there was Reverend Jeremiah Ketchum, a corrupt preacher and leader of a cult who slaughtered denizens of Native-Americans who were then buried on the spot a house now sits on. A house on 112 Ocean Avenue. The ghost of a man who lived in that very house was named Ronald DeFeo Jr. who was persuaded by voices to murder his entire family. Another was named Diana Walter, young girl who was diagnosed with a rare disorder that causes her skin to react negatively to any forms of lights and her spirit is only visible in the darkness. There were many to count. While some ghosts stayed in their spiritual, ethereal forms, others can manifest their otherworldly abilities to appear alive. Vlad's senses went haywire when the presence of someone at the door alarmed him. It wasn't someone he recognized. But come to think of it, not many of these guests were anyone he knew personally. There were 11 of them. 10 of them were younger than the other, who was in his late 50's.

"Is everything alright, dear?" Mirena asked her husband.

"There's someone at the door." He answered with a tone that she didn't understand.

"More guests, perhaps?" She suggested.

"Could be." He said and disappeared down the hallways towards the front entrance. Mirena gave it a moment before she eventually followed after him, turning into a swarm of bats herself to see who was at the door. Vlad stopped right at the door and pressed his ear against the wood of the door, listening and hearing their voices.

* * *

Dragomir knocked on the door, which made a loud, hollow sound each time his fist impacted the large, beautifully-carved wooden doorways. The rain came down even harder and it was getting difficult to avoid getting doused with rainwater.

"Oh, give it up. I don't think anyone's here." Abe demurred. "Who could be living in an old place like this?"

"You never know if there even is." Dragomir articulated. "What if it's someone who could help us?"

"Oh, man. It's really coming down." said Jackal, trying the cover himself from the rain. "I didn't even bring my umbrella."

"You would've brought it if you expected this." Muhammad replied.

"Look, there's nobody here, okay?" protested Abe with annoyance that they're getting nowhere fast. "This castle probably hasn't been inhabited in years. Let's just go right inside-"

Abe was cut off mid-sentence when the doors finally swung open and everyone turned to come face-to-face with Vlad. It came to them with a surprise to think that someone actually lived in this old place up in the mountains. The group started at him, while he started back in surprise to see ordinary humans at the door of his castle. How could they have found his castle far away from their civilization? Despite this, he hid it all away to give them a simple greeting.

"Who are all of you?" He asked them.

"Uh...we're just travelers, sir." Dragomir spoke for the group. "We were just mountain climbing together and we happened upon this strange castle."

"But that's impossible." Vlad doubted. "No one's supposed to find this castle so easily."

"Well, I did, pal." Ash raised his voice. "See, me and him-" He gestured to John. "-received a letter to find this place."

"Oh, yes. I see." Vlad nodded.

"Hey, listen. We'd really like to get out of the rain. So if you don't mind, can we please come in?" requested Abe.

That's when Mirena came to the door to get her own look at the new human visitors to the castle; bless her curious heart.

"Oh my goodness, you all must be freezing. Please. Come on in." She gasped and urged the group inside before Vlad had the chance to protest.

"Thank god." Rod sighed with relief.

"Thanks, ma'am." thanked Marcia as everyone entered.

Vlad was too late to warn them that they couldn't come in, because of the castle's important fundamental and that it's only housing monsters. As soon as the human group entered the great hall of the castle, they were finally glad to be out of the rain. But their relief soon turned into shock and disbelief when they gained their bearings and looked around the place. Not only were they standing in an old castle whose interior looked new and pre-made, but everywhere they looked, monsters and frightening creatures stood everywhere. None seemed to be aware of their presence as they were preoccupied with their conversations and whatnot to take notice.

"W-W-W-W-What the h-hell is this place?" stuttered Muhammad with nervousness. "Please tell me this is some kind of early Halloween party or something."

"Oh, yeah. It's Halloween in the middle of summer." Jackal said sarcastically.

"Who are all these people?" asked Abe in his own moment of flabbergasted awe.

Then suddenly, Vlad zipped right in front of them to try to come up with some excuse as to what they were witnessing, hoping not to arouse any panic.

"Please don't be alarmed." He told them all. "I know this is a lot to digest, but try not get all excited. I assure you all, this is just a regular thing. These people won't do you any harm, just as long as you don't try anything to provoke them."

"Who the fuck are these people?" Chris finally spoke up.

"Or better yet, what are these people?" Jackal retorted, demanding some kind of explanation, but Dre gave him a smack on the head, just in case he said anything offensive.

"I'm afraid it's complicated." Vlad reasoned. "I want you all to calm yourselves and take this slowly. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Count Vlad III, the owner of this castle, my family home. You are currently standing inside a safe haven for paranormal beings from various places around the globe."

"Paranormal beings?" repeated Abe.

"Yes." nodded Vlad. "You'll get to know much me soon enough."

"Is there some kind of party going on here or something?" asked Casey, still gobsmacked.

"This is a special gathering for my youngest daughter, Mavis's birthday is next Monday." explained the Vampire King. "We have far so much planned when that day arrives."

"Ooh! I love parties! Can we-" Jackal shrieked with delight, before Abe silenced him with a punch to the gut.

"No! We're not here to have fun! We're just here until the rain stops." He reminded him exasperatedly.

Vlad placed a hand on his shoulder, making him look at him.

"There's no need to start any animosity. I promise no harm will come to you here until the weather blows over." He said to him.

"Now, hold on." Ash stepped in arrogantly. "What I wanna know is: Why did you summon me here?"

"I hear tell of you countless encounters with the evil dead. I know you and your friends unleashed the Necronomicon and summoned vast hordes of Deadites. Is this correct?" asked Vlad.

"Yeah, that's correct." nodded Ash.

"Then you'll fit right in." coaxed the Count.

"I doubt that." Tyler remarked and headed for the door with Jackal following him. "Because we're leaving right now. I'm not gonna stand around and listen to some David Cronenberg crap about ghosts and goblins and demons-"

He opened the door and see that it was still coming down hard outside and closed it back up. Dragomir was looking outside the window and remembered the risks it would take to get back down the mountain.

"It's still raining outside." He explained. "It'll be too dangerous to climb back down the mountain. Unless you all want to risk slipping and falling to your death."

Muhammad gulped as he felt his fear of heights overwhelm his senses from the thought of falling thousands of stories down if he slipped while climbing.

"The rain doesn't last very long around here." Vlad announced to the humans. "It should be over by tomorrow afternoon."

"Well, that's just great!" Dre complained. "We're stuck here in a dark, spooky castle all thanks to that asshole Ash!"

"Hey! I needed to get here and you know it!" Ash screamed into his face with fury.

"We already had plans to go mountain climbing in the morning, but you just had to step in and fuck everything up!" Rod joined in on the argument.

"What would you rather I did instead? Give you candy and ask you politely to come with me to this scary-ass castle in the mountain?" Ash spat sardonically.

"Try pissing off!" Dre shouted.

That did it. Ash was about to give him a piece of his mind and the group was about to break them up, but Casey was brave enough to take action first and so she forced herself between the two arguing men and separated them.

"Hey! Enough! Enough already, you two! We're already here and none of that matters right now. We'll just have to spend the night here." She explained, giving them both the same look a mother would when her child misbehaves, forcing the two to forget their animosity of each other.

"How are we gonna sleep here?" asked Muhammad.

"I don't know. But as far as I'm concerned, I can pretty much sleep anywhere right now, because I'm beat as fuck." Jackal yawned his words out.

"Don't worry yourselves." Vlad said to his new human guests. "We'll find you all some suitable accommodations. Help you all get settled. Just make yourselves at home."

"Thanks, sir." Abe nodded.

"Mirena." Vlad turned to his wife. "Do show our guests to their rooms."

"Uh, yes, of course." She immediately nodded diligently and without thinking twice about it, gestured for everyone to follow her to their rooms. Vlad kept his eyes locked on the human friends as they departed down the hallways with his wife leading the party. Something about them made him feel strange and unsettled. He didn't recall sending invites to any of them, besides Ash and John. If there was some kind of intent either of them that seemed sinister, he'll never know for sure. But he just had to. Meanwhile, Mavis walking down the steps with Ahmanet.

"We just want you to get to know some new people." explained Ahmanet in her best maternal tone.

"I know, I know." Mavis stated and nodded her head, acting as if she had heard his lecture before. "I just don't have any really friends, you know? Friends to talk to, to share my feelings with or even take selfies with."

"Maybe you'll find some friends when your birthday comes." regarded the mummy queen. "But never forget. Friends come and go."

"Yeah." Mavis despondently agreed, looking down at her feet descending down step after step, but then her senses lit up like fireworks. She sensed the humans in the castle and it almost brought some confidence in her heart. She hoped that she could finally makes some friends and maybe see that humans and creatures of myth can actually see eye-to-eye. Part of her wonders if it's possible and part of her disagrees. Against all odds, she would introduce herself to these new human guests.

* * *

Mirena brought them down the corridors with the room doors on each side. Mirena was not fazed by humans strangers in her home, not one bit. In fact, it's been centuries since she had last seen a normal human face. One of the downsides of being a vampire.

"I'll have to inform to all of you that we have a limited amount of rooms as we were not expecting guests like you. So may I suggest that some of you be willing to share rooms?" queried Mirena.

"I got no problem with that." Rod shrugged, putting his arm around Chris and Abe. "Me and my homies can share a hotel room, so what's the problem?"

"Excellent." Mirena smiled.

The group seemed to pass by a strange figure in grey, faded jumpsuit and wearing a white head mask in the form of a blank, expressionless face. The man stopped in his tracks when he noticed the humans. Tyler seemed to be the only one to find his staring gaze as the rest were falling Mirena. The man just stared back at him, stiff as a statue, motionless. Tyler started to feel uncomfortable and rushed to join his friends. The man watched him dart away and proceeded walking. Mirena finally found them some rooms and noticed Tyler's uneasy state.

"Something the matter?" She asked.

"There's this guy staring at me. White mask and grey jumpsuit." Tyler replied.

"Oh, that must be Mr. Michael Myers." Mirena confirmed. "He comes from a town in Illinois, as I have heard. Haddonfield was the name. He's known to come around on Halloween."

"Wait, I heard of the Myers family murder on Halloween in 1992." responded Muhammad.

"Of course. He murdered his family on Halloween." Mirena explained.

Tyler not felt even more uneasy when she said that. How comforting of her to just openly admit that the weirdo staring at him was a psychotic murderer. He just hoped to God that Michael wouldn't kill him in his sleep. Mirena gave them the keys to their rooms and the rooming and sleeping arrangements were made. Casey would room with Chris, Marcia would room with Rod, Claire would room with Dre, Muhammad, as usual, roomed with Jackal, Tyler had a room to himself and so did Abe. Mirena gave them the low-down.

"Many of the guests around here aren't like the guests you'll find in a hotel or resort. You'll find it difficult to get along with these kind of people. Not many of them are people, as you probably already know. If you feel more comfortable remaining in your rooms, that's okay. But make sure not to provoke anyone here. Many of them don't take kindly to strangers like you all. Many of them have not had pleasant encounters with regular individuals. This castle is a safe-haven to them. So don't lose your keys, make yourselves at home and enjoy your stay."

Everyone watched Mirena shuffle down the hallway away from them. Aside from Abe, who was pondering over Mirena's words, everyone entered their rooms and everything seemed quite enjoyable to say the least. Most of everyone has gotten comfy in their new rooms, but when Abe was about to open his own door, he felt a new presence appear behind him.

"Hi, human." He saw Mavis standing there and then all of the sudden, when they locked eyes, it would seemed their eyes sparkled as they eyed each other for the first time. Even though she just met him, Mavis looked at him with shock and blushed. Abe immediately felt his heart flutter when he eyeballed this cute, beautiful girl, but he shook himself from his reverie and began to speak.

"I'm sorry, "human"?" Abe asked.

"Oh, uh, sorry. I meant "new guy"." Mavis chuckled nervously. "My name is Mavis. What's yours?"

"Abraham Grey. But call me "Abe" and not "human", please." Abe greeted himself and joked with a chuckle.

Mavis kept her eyes on him, looking at him up and down. Something about this human made her heart beat faster and butterflies flutter in her stomach. She didn't know why she felt this way for him and didn't know what to think.

"Are you guests here?" asked Mavis.

"For now." Abe informed. "We're just here until the storm passes over."

"Storm?" snickered Mavis. "The storms around here last longer than any regular storm."

"So I've heard." drawled out Abe with sarcastic acknowledgement. "So I hear it's your birthday?"

"Yep. Well, it's going to be, anyway. It's going to be huge! Parties, presents, lots of fun!" Mavis chirped excitedly.

"Yeah, I'm happy for you." nodded Abe before he went back to opening his door, when she suddenly grabbed his arm.

"Wait!" Mavis shouted, but then calmed down and spoke in a normal tone, "Sorry. I just really want to get to know you all. But mostly you. Don't ask why. It's just that I don't have a lot of friends around here. You can imagine how lonely it gets when you're living in a castle in the mountains."

"Well, maybe there's something you and I could do. Just name it." suggested Abe.

"Great! I'd love it." Mavis exclaimed with joy. "Well, I can see my mother has already given you a room. You just get yourself settled and we'll meet again sooner than you think."

"Sounds fun." Abe smiled and she smiled back. They both seemed to be hypnotized by each other's eyes as they both silently stared at one another. Abe and Mavis suddenly realized what they were doing and looked away from each other awkwardly, blushing madly.

"Okay, bye." Not wanting to face any more embarrassment, Abe flung open the door, dashed inside and quickly shut it.

"Bye." Mavis winced pathetically and walked away, rubbing her arm.

Once inside, Abe's mind replayed what just occurred and it almost seemed too good to be true and yet, so sudden. But why, he asked himself. Why now?

"Did I just ask a girl on a date?"

Unknown to them, Îngeraș was listening to their conversation and once he heard Abe introduce himself, his eyes widened with disbelief. The same human the Boogeyman told him about was inside the castle right now. How was he going to explain this to his father? But most importantly, how was he going to explain it to Abe himself? He wondered what the Boogeyman had in store for him. Perhaps he had an old score to settle with him. Or probably something much worse. His fears became worse he wondered how he was going to explain this to his Mavis as well. Maybe she would try to befriend them and try to trick them into taking her out to see the world. But that's silly. Mavis isn't deceitful. But Mavis did say once that she also wanted friends. It wouldn't hurt for her to get acquainted with these humans. Most presumably the one she has her eyes set on the most. Abraham Grey.

* * *

"Well, this is quite legit." Claire expressed, getting a good look at her room with Dre. "I was expecting cobwebs and dust, but this looks really new."

"And this bed is comfy, too." Dre added, bouncing slightly on the bed's mattress. "Almost makes the perfect place to start making us some babies. Get our groove on."

"Oh, shut up, Dre!" laughed Claire, hitting her boyfriend playfully.

"You're right. Shouldn't have said that." Dre agreed.

"You have a dirty mind, mister." She smirked at him.

"At least my mind is still adjusting."

"I bet that new brain of yours is full of ideas on how to make your girlfriend happy." Claire playfully teased, giving him a poke on the head.

"Okay, that's it!" Dre tackled his girlfriend on the bed, making her scream and laugh with delight from the excitement.

Yes, the two of them were gonna enjoy themselves in his fancy castle full of these strange people and creatures. But if only they knew who they were. They still didn't believe that they were, in any way, associated with the supernatural or paranormal. But that is to be revealed on a later date.


	8. Settling In

**Disclaimer: I don't any of there characters. Only my OCs. And don't worry, the protagonists won't be dying in this story. The only deaths that will be involved will be the antagonists. Anyway, here's the next chapter.**

* * *

After getting cozy in their rooms, the new human guests seemed to have dozed off minutes after they had gotten comfortable in the beds. Abe snoozed away in his bed, sleeping peacefully while his mind danced around in land of dreams in blissful comfort. Unfortunately, he was rudely pulled from his dreams by the sound of his phone ringing. He jumped awake and grabbed his phone and answered it, too tired to see what the caller ID was.

As his thoughts gathered themselves, he groaned tiredly, "Hello?"

There was no answer on the other end. Nothing but the sound of heavy breathing. Strange as this was confusing, Abe didn't bother asking who this was, so he hung up to see it was 3:00 AM and went back to sleep. Only after a couple seconds had he slipped off to slumberland did the phone ring again. Abe jolted up, nearly wide awake this time, and snatched the phone and answered it again.

"What?!" He yelled, annoyed at whoever was calling him at this time, disturbing his sleep. More breathing came from the other end, before a deep-pitched voice broke the silence.

"I'm watching you, kid."

"Jackal, knock it off. It's 3:00 in the goddamn morning." groaned Abe irritated, rubbing his tired eyes. Jackal was notorious for his obnoxious practical jokes, like prank calls. But this didn't sound at all like him. There was silence once more, making Abe feel edgy.

"Who is this?" Abe asked.

There was nothing on the other end besides static and, if you listened closely with all ears, distorted voices overlapping each other. Confused, Abe was about to turn the stupid thing off and return to sleep when finally, an answer from the same voice came through.

"I'm right outside your door."

This snapped Abe wide awake as his heart skipped many beats at this point, ready to burst out of his chest. As if on cue, the quiet in the room was disturbed by hollow knocking at the door, startling the life out of him. Sweat profusely from the sudden fear in his gut, he dared himself to climb out of the bed and go see who was disturbing him at this time of night.

Marching over, shaking on steady tip-toes, Abe approached the door and looked to see no shadow under the door. But he needed to confront this person and tell them to fuck off. Mustering up all the strength and courage he needed, he gripped the doorknob and swung open the door to find, to his bewilderment, nobody there.

"What the fuck?" He mouthed wordlessly.

Looking down the hall in both directions, he was met with no one, still. But who was knocking at his door and how did they get away so quickly without making any noise? He hadn't heard any footsteps. Just when he was about to decide that it was probably Jackal or just some stranger who had somehow gotten his number playing a prank on him, he caught a glimpse of a shadowy figure crossing far down the left side of the long corridor in split second.

Shocked out of his wits, Abe quickly, but silently closed the door just to not arouse attention and hauled ass back over to his bed and yanked the covers over his head to try to get some sleep and pretend it never happened. When he finally settled down and regained his bearings, he slowly lowered the covers to notice something strange about his room.

It was no longer the ancient, stone-walled room, but it had become the bedroom that he had back at home before he left for college. The posters he used to have up, the computer on his desk, even the heavy metal guitar. Something wasn't right. How was he back in his old room all of the sudden? But he then heard the sound of children playing outside. Abe got up from his bed and staggered over to his bedroom window to see it was daytime now and there were little girls outside on the lawn playing with a jump rope, all the while singing an eerie rhyme.

" _~ 1, 2...Freddy's coming for you._  
 _3, 4...Better lock your door. ~_ "

Lifting an eyebrow, Abe again felt unnerved about their strange and disturbing little song. It's like they were giving out a strict warning in music form.

" _~ 5, 6...Grab your crucifix._  
 _7, 8...Can you stay awake?_  
 _9, 10...Never sleep again! ~_ "

Then suddenly, before Abe had the time to react and without fair warning, a gloved hand with familiar knives for claws popped out of nowhere from behind him and grabbed him by the mouth, catching him off guard and making him jump with a brief scream of terror. The knocking came again as Abe kicked, punched and jerked his arms and fight around, trying to fight off whoever tried to grab him.

By then, everything shifted in an instant and Abe opened his eyes to see that he was back in the room he was staying in and back under the covers. Abe panted and wheezed with sweat trickling down his forehead and cheeks. It was all just a nightmare. The most terrifying nightmare in his life. More knocking came, making Abe hope out of the bed like he sat on some spikes and charged for the door and swung it wide open.

"What do you want from me?! " He screamed with both rage and fear gripping his voice. But he froze when his mood changed to shocked and surprised to see himself face-to-face with none other than Vlad, who, although gobsmacked by his behavior, was calm and collective.

"Rough night?" He asked.

"I…." stammered Abe, trying to find words before he gulped, saying, "Maybe."

"It's only your first day here. You'll get used to it." The vampire lord explained. "Perhaps some breakfast should settle your nerves. Your friends are already downstairs in the dining room. Do get yourself dressed."

Vlad patted off down the corridor after that, leaving a still-shaken Abe behind.

* * *

Down in the dining room of the castle, the rest of the gang had already woken up before their friend did and where seated at the long table with Adam, Imhotep, Ahmanet, Eve, Griffin, Erik and Lawrence while Vlad sat in the largest chair at the very end before a huge fireplace. Now the breakfast feast was none the humans had ever seen or tried before. Romanian cuisines and other cultural foods and pastries as far as the eye could see. Fried eggs and bacon with orange juice would do the trick, but they weren't in America anymore so it was better than nothing. All was silent as the group was feeling a bit uneasy sitting with these peculiar people.

"So what is the big event anyway?" asked Jackal to try and break the ice between the members of the table. "Is this like an early Halloween shindig or something?"

"We are celebrating Vlad's youngest daughter's birthday after tomorrow." Imhotep explained with eerie serenity. "As it was possibly wasn't explained before."

"I mean,...you guys play dress up on your kid's birthday?" Jackal added with curiosity.

"Yeah." agreed Muhammad. "I mean those costumes look really real and out of this world. Those stitches are done far too greatly, the authenticity of that linen cloth is…..staggering to say the least and what's those bandages? Are you a victim of a gruesome car accident?"

Adam lifted an eyebrow at the boy's slight criticisms about the stitches that hold his whole body together. No one had ever complimented her attire before in her life besides Imhotep, but Ahmanet couldn't help but let a blush spread across her deathly pale cheeks and crack a small smile dangling on her lips, feeling a hint of flattery. Rather gobsmacked and a tad offended, Griffin frowned behind the bandages that made him visible and some of the monster participants around the breakfast table were unable to hold back small chuckles.

"Well, anyway, those costumes are so realistic and cool. It's like a Transylvanian costume party." Casey commented before Griffin could come up with a retort. "By the way, we never really caught all of your names besides you, Mr., uh...Vlad."

"Oh, yes. Of course." nodded Vlad. "Meet my dear companions. This would be Adam and his beloved, Eve. Meet the Egyptian king, Imhotep, and his queen, Ahmanet. The gentleman over there is Erik. That's Dr. Jack Griffin and Lawrence Talbot."

"Wait. Some of those names sound familiar." said Chris. "Dr. Griffin the Invisible Man, Lawrence Talbot as in the Wolfman and Imhotep. Like the mummy?"

"Those are really your names?" asked Claire, receiving nods and other positive answers from them. "Can I guess that you are Count Dracula?"

"You can say that. It's a name that I fancied myself with for the longest of times. For it meaning 'Son of the Devil'." responded Vlad, clutching a glass of blood. "Stained with the bloodshed of fallen enemy soldiers and surrounded by the spoils of war, it took much too much to embrace the darkness that I have bargained myself into for the sake of my family and people."

"Darkness?" repeated Marcia.

"Indeed." continued Vlad. "And now I be condemned to the shadows with the sun as my enemy."

By now, the newcomers were feeling a bit creeped-out and perturbed by Vlad's story while at the same time, uncertain of what he was talking about and where he was going with that tale, simply because of the vernacular and speech pattern or because that they think that he's delving deep into his character that he's just making it all up as he went a long. But Rod decides to have a taste of the red wine as he never had any alcoholic drinks since they left America. For some reason, it tasted salty and a bit metallic.

"Eck!" He gagged, trying not to spit it out for fear of offending those giving him and friends hospitality. Fighting against the nausea, he finally swallowed. "What kind of wine is this?"

"That's blood." Vlad causally answered.

That got everyone's attention right quick as they all shared a shock and an understandable revolt in their eyes. Most of them scotted their chairs away to avoid even laying their hands on the glasses filled with body fluids.

"Blood?!" shrieked Muhammad, trying not to throw up.

"Please, remain calm and allow us to explain as delicately as we can." Vlad raised his hands to get them all to simmer down and take a moment to collect themselves. In addition, Ahmanet used her dark powers to move their chairs forward, bringing them all back to the table.

"I understand your confusion and it is not uncommon, but there are no costumes or makeup or anything of the sort. We are, in fact,..."He braced himself with a deep silent inhale before speaking out loud. "...not human."

"What?!" They all cried out in disbelief.

"Are you serious?!" screamed Claire.

"This is a joke! It has to be a joke!" Tyler was both amused and unnerved at the same time.

To further prove his point, Vlad shifted into a flock of bats before zipping right out of his chair and flying across the table past the widened eyes and bafflement of the human onlookers while they all watch in equal amazement as the bats circled overhead and landed right back in the empty chair, materializing back into human form. Everyone was bewildered behind belief that they couldn't speak.

At that moment, Abe finally emerged in the room with a tired, albeit visibly-shaken look as if he had seen a ghost, and adorning a complimentary pajama robe that Mirena had left for him in his bedroom.

"I'm sorry, but it was difficult to find your guys in a huge place like this. I had to ask a few people for directions." Abe replied, making his way over to a seat at the other end of the lengthy table to have a seat.

"Where did you find get that robe?" asked Chris.

"It was laying on the dresser." Abe replied.

"Forgive me, Mr. Grey." began Vlad with an air of understanding. "But I was just trying to explain to your friends the truth."

"What truth?" asked Abe, looking up from the food before him.

"We're all not exactly human. Most of us are, but it varies in many ways." Ahmanet added for the vampire king's sake.

"I know that." Abe sighed.

"Wait, what?" stuttered Marcia and Claire.

"What are you talking about?" Jackal demanded. "What do you mean you know?"

"Many of these people were none too normal at all." Abe responded with a serious tone and a heavy sigh. "There was that little girl with an ugly face and a man's voice, a gigantic woman was in the courtyard and I think I captured sight of an actual spirit."

"Indeed." Vlad nodded.

"I was created long ago by a man named Victor Frankenstein out of the cadaver of a recently-deceased maniac, had replacement body parts to substitute the weakened or fractured parts, then reanimated via electrical currents." began Adam.

"Holy shit." Dre exclaimed with shock.

"Horrified by how I turned out, he rejected me and left me to fend for myself. Reborn into a world where people hate and fear me. He found my way back to my creator and forced him to create a bride for me, but he hid the unfinished body from me and lied about it. So I punished him by strangling his own bride. He pursued me to the far north, through the Arctic wilderness. I was immune to the cold, he was not. Eventually, I managed to find my unfinished bride and finished her myself. But she fled away from me after seeing her reflection for the first time."

"That was my biggest regret ever." Eva responded with a hint of remorse. "To just run away in fear from someone who has similar flaws and issues as I. We were both the same. I should've realized that sooner."

"But we soon found each other again and we live in solitude together in the expanses of ice in Siberia." Adam finished, putting his hand on top of Eve's, to which she blushed and smiled at her mate.

"That would make you Frankenstein's creature." replied Jackal, putting pieces together. "You know…."

"I refuse to adopt that horrid man's name." barked Adam.

This made Jackal raise his hands up in surrender from his strong change of emotions. Claire rolled her eyes at him while Marcia face-palmed and shook her head in aggravation, hoping that he hadn't offended the simulacrum.

"I was born in Egypt, like Imhotep." explained Ahmanet next. "I was a princess, first-born to a powerful pharaoh ruler, trained to fight and one day rule over my people. But then one day, my father had remarried and give birth to a baby boy, my newborn step-brother. He breaks his promise and passes my birthright onto him instead. Angered by my father's betrayal, he sought guidance and assistance in the form of the god, Set, who would grant my limitless power in exchange for blood. So I murdered my father and my baby brother before sacrificing my lover to Set and from that moment, I began to change. But my people immediately turned on me and forcefully had me wrapped in linen, buried alive in a sarcophagus, drowned in mercury deep under the Earth's surface."

"Uh...I'm sorry, but your dad sounds like a real jerk." said Claire out of nowhere.

The mummy princess widened her eyes and then her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, not certain what "jerk" really means, but she could tell it's nothing too pleasant, so she emitted a giggle in agreement.

"That's one way to describe him."

"How did you manage to get free?" asked Abe.

"American soldiers freed me from my inescapable prison. But I wasn't the only one." Ahmanet answered before laying her split-eyes on her husband. "Imhotep, as well, was granted unimaginable power from the gods."

"I began as but a high priest serving the pharaoh, Seti I, who had broken his trust when my heart went out for his mistress, Anck-Su-Namun. She sacrificed herself after we both assassinated the king before I was forced underground with flesh-eating scarabs."

Most of the human party cringed and winced at the thought of being trapped under the ground with flesh-eating bugs and doomed to be eaten alive. It was not a pretty sight to behold and Abe would not shake his head of that gruesome thought.

"Me and Ahmanet both met after we were both resurrected and joined forces on a quest to reclaim what we were both denied in life. But after the mortals were proven no match against us, we both retreated into the darkness of the Pyramids of Giza where we married."

"Okay, and how did you two manage that, may I ask?" asked Rod with confusion.

"It's a long story." Eve reminded him seriously.

"My tale is a bit sketchy, but if you insist." sighed Lawrence before he brought up the strength to recall his story. "I was a wealthy heir in my time and a Shakespearean actor. Word had gone out that my brother had died, mauled by a beast. It had been years since I had last spoken to my father. But before long, I was attacked by a dangerous beast, a werewolf to be specific. It cursed me. Every night on a full moon, I would transform into a vicious, wolf-like monster with a hunger for human flesh. I just couldn't bear it. Eating innocent people alive in the body of a werewolf every night. To add insult to injury, my father revealed that he killed my mother and possibly my brother as well, because he, too, was a werewolf."

"What the shit?" cried Marcia, gobsmacked to think such a tale. "Did this so-called curse run in the family or something?"

"I don't know." Lawrence shook his head. "I don't even know how or when he first become cursed. But then one night, he and I both became beasts and battled in our burning mansion where I succeeded in decapitating him. And after that, I was gunned down by my brother's widow with a silver bullet."

"Oh my god, really?!" Clair shrieked. "Wait, how are you still alive today if you got shot?"

"That remains a mystery to both me and everyone else. But my best guess is that my curse healed me." replied Lawrence as best he could.

"Well, that goes onto me." Griffin spoke up next immediately and nonchalantly. "So to keep my story brief, I invented a serum that renders anyone invisible, which I tested on myself. Well, my biggest flaw was that I didn't think of how to make myself visible again. After many failed attempts to reverse the effects, I came to the harsh acceptance that I was stuck as an invisible man for life. So long story short, I would commit crimes and such just for the fun of it."

"You're invisible?" asked Abe, curiously.

"Indeed, I am." Griffin nodded.

"Well, if so, I hope to not catch you going through my belonging or my garments for that matter." Casey warned in an otherwise threatening tone.

"I solemnly swear. Cross my heart." Griffin promised.

"What about you, buddy?" Chris asked Erik who was eyeballing his glass of blood in contempt.

"I don't wish to talk about it." He could only say.

"Okay, then."

"As for me, I used to be the prince of Wallachia during a time when I was called the "Impaler" for my penchant for impaling my enemies on wooden stakes. But that was long before I married by beloved Mirena and had my son, Ingeras." Vlad began his own tale last as he rested in his chair while everyone had eyes on him. "But the man I used to recognize as my ally, Mehmed the Conqueror, demanded 1,000 boys for his armies, including Ingeras. I had no means of refusing his demands as my armies were small in numbers. So I sought help in the form of a monster residing in a cave in Broken Tooth Mountain. He gave me his blood, which would give me the strength of a thousand men, the speed of a falling star, dominion over the night and it's creatures among other abilities. And thus how I became a vampire. If I resisted my thirst for human blood for 3 days, I would be human again. But if not, I would remain a monster for eternity. Soon more of my people had been brutally slain, even Mirena whom I was too late save from her fall, leaving me no choice but to drank her blood. Turning what was left of my people into vampires, we sieged the Turks in their camp where I managed to save my son from Mehmed, killing him once and for all. But only afterwards, I had to sacrifice myself and the remaining vampires to the Sun's morning light to save him. But then my servant, Shkelgim revived me with blood. Years later, I met a woman named Mina, who later turned out to be Mirena reincarnated. She didn't regain for former self until after I offered to transform Mina into a vampire."

"Wow." Jackal expressed with complete surprise and amazement at his tale.

"So you were Vlad the Impaler?" asked Rod.

"Such a title needs not a worthy acknowledgement, but yes, I was long ago." Vlad answered, still bothering by that moniker. "But pleasantries aside, may I ask what is your purpose of being her in Romania?"

"Well, I just graduated from college and we'll here on vacation together." Abe explained. "We were going to start here in Transylvania first, then Paris after that-"

"Paris?" parroted Vlad, lifting an intrigued eyebrow. "My daughter always wanted to visit Paris."

"Really?" Casey asked. "Well, she's free to come along with us if she's okay with it."

"I'm afraid that's quite out of the question." Vlad rebutted, shaking his head. "See, my Mavis may be mature, but she's still a young child and I fear that something might happen to her."

"Oh, nevermind." muttered Casey.

"But we could…..you know, look after her and keep her safe." Abe suggested to the vampire king.

"It's not that simple, I'm afraid." Vlad said to him strictly. "She could burn up upon contact with Sun's rays."

This made the human visitors all give each other in confusion, making them all feel weird about the dark prince's overprotectiveness of his daughter. Abe, meanwhile, began to turn his thoughts over to Mavis for a moment and think about his planned activity with her. Because, if anything, he had so many questions to ask her. And if what everything that's been told was true, than this old castle in the middle of the mountain was full of monsters.


	9. Familiarization

**Sorry for the long wait on this. It's been tough for me to decide what to add next and it's also hard to find any motivation to continue writing. Anyway, here's the next chapter.**

* * *

Mavis was just lazing around in her bedroom. Her own private quarters. What was she doing, you ask? Well, let's put it as delicately as I can. Sometimes, she reads fashion and gossip magazines and listening to music on her headphones like most modern teenage girls nowadays. But what she mostly does in her spare time, like what she was doing right now is something you wouldn't expect a teenage girl like her to be doing.

She was lying on her stomach on her bed, watching a video on her laptop with her earbuds in. However, it wasn't an ordinary video, mind you. For she had discovered a website some time ago known as "Pornhub" and was watching a video of a naked girl giving her boyfriend a blowjob. Yes, as filthy as this may sound, but Mavis discovered pornography and, needless to say, she had grown quite into it like a fangirl watching her favorite Spanish soap opera. Mavis eyed the screen unblinkingly with hungry appreciation, watching the dirty and promiscuous content displayed on her laptop of the porn actress just bobbing her head up and down on that man's you-know-what, sucking it dry and emitting pleasurable moans while doing so.

Mavis herself was moaning with interest and smiling like a moron as she kept on watching, wondering how human females today were so good at pleasing their beloved in such an unspoken way. And as she witnessed the scene, she began to feel warm and tense downward, causing her to lose control of her own actions as she slowly moved a soft hand down toward her….

But before she go any further, their came a knock at the door that she heard even with the earbuds in blasting that hot sex noise into her ears, making her freeze like a deer caught in headlights and her cheeks brighten a deep color of red. It had to be her father at the door and just the thought of him walking in on her during her personal "me-time" would quite possibly destroy her psychologically.

"Just a minute!" She screamed in fright, not wanting to face any embarrassment. So with the assistance of her incredible vampire speed, she slammed the laptop shut, yanked her earbuds out and shoved both them and the laptop under her bed before sitting upright on her bed in an innocent enough posture to try an avoid suspicion of her secret moments.

"Okay, come in!"

The door opened and in popped in not her father, but a group of Mavis's vampire friends, Joachim Lemarguis, Sergiu Sollomovici III, Ekaterina "Kat" Cojocar and Bertram Inwood. Since she figured out Skype and Face Chat long time ago, she made friends with a bunch of other vampires who learned how to use social media as well. She immediately made fast friends with four vampires outside of her castle home. They would visit a couple times to hang out with her like what many friends would do.

Joachim is from a desert town in Nevada who became a vampire after being bitten by one, Sergiu is the son of a baron in New Orleans who owned a pepper plantation, Kat is part of a wealthy family of vampires in Ukraine who run a company that farms incarcerated criminal humans of their blood and Bertram is from a seaside fishing town in Alaska. Mavis breathed a sigh out of relief that it wasn't her father or any family member for that matter. Although, she would still like to keep her private moments, well, private.

"Hey, there, Mavs!" Bertram called out with a big smile.

"There's the birthday girl!" cried Sergiu, giving the aforementioned girl a big bear hug, earning him a loud giggle from Mavis.

"Hey, guys!" She greeted them all with a light heart, glad to see her friends had arrived. "Glad you all could make it."

"Well, I had to bring my umbrella with me for travelling in the daylight, but I made it here in one piece and not ruining this perfect face." Kat replied, gingerly stroking her soft cheek before laughing heartily with Mavis.

"Your mom let us in by the way." said Joachim.

"That's what I figured." Mavis shrugged before resting back on her bed again while her friends took some seats around her room.

"So what have you guys have planned for tomorrow?" asked Bertram. "We see you got like a thousands of those, uh….guests downstairs all over your castle. I mean, a lot of strange-looking weirdos and creatures I've never seen before. But, not gonna lie, I've seen creepier."

"How creepier?" asked Mavis.

"Like 'a-colony-of-spiders-in-your-attic' weird." Bertram responded with a shiver down his spine at the sudden recall.

"So what do you guys have planned for your birthday tomorrow?" asked Sergiu. "You mentioned something about a huge dance party with loud music and such."

"That's right. There's gonna be swimming, a few sports, sârbă, a little theater play about my dad's story about how he defeated Mehmed the Conqueror in the Night Attack, little personal favorite of mine." explained Mavis before delving briefly into the memory of being told that story a couple of times by her father when she was a little girl. "My mom suggested that we play bingo, just for her sake. She really enjoys that game."

"Bingo is so boring." Bertram groaned, heaving a sigh. He had played that game at least a couple times before and it's nowhere exciting and nothing new. It was just too basic and original for his taste.

"Well, don't play then. Not everyone has to play." Kat shrugged.

"Of course, we'll get to the presents and cave, but the best part yet comes afterwards. The huge, dance party! With music, dancing, loud noise!"

"YEAH!" Everyone in the room cried out thunderously, displaying such passion and excitement for the big shindig coming up. Like young high schoolers who wanted nothing better to do in their lives, except goof off, get drunk and have an ass-load of fun while living life to the fullest. When the loud, collective cry in the room died down, Kat took the opportunity to speak her thoughts.

"Mavis, forgive me, but since the moment I walked in, I've been picking up this familiar scent." She noted with a skeptical glance.

"Yeah, we all did." replied Joachim in agreement. "What's that all about?"

"Oh, my mom didn't tell you?" Mavis raised an eyebrow at her friends. "We now have some human guests in the castle."

"What?!" All of her friend shouted incredulously at the same time in disbelief.

"Are you serious?! How did humans find the castle here?! The castle was supposed to be invisible to the outside world to the human race, right?" Sergiu was practically screaming his head off right now.

"They were just travelling up the mountain with two of our invited guests and happened upon the place. Maybe the storm drove them in." explained Mavis.

"You're crazy, Mavs. You know you're insane." Bertram reminded her with a look as if she had lost her mind. "You've just let normal, average humans into your secluded sanctuary. This perfectly-built isolated sanctuary away from prying human eyes. HUMAN eyes! They could be spies or secret assassins sent to kill you and your entire family!"

"I highly doubt that. According to my brother, they're just ordinary travellers on vacation by the looks of it." The vampire princess replied with brave confidence.

"I'd imagine even if they were, there's no chance of success if you're surrounded by a crap-ton of those freaky-looking creatures down there." Kat replied matter-of-factly. "It's true."

"Look, there's no way those humans came all this way over here to kill us all. Even if they did, they would've done it by now." exclaimed Mavis.

"Maybe they're waiting for the right moment to strike and kill us all off one-by-one." Joachim theorized suspiciously.

"Just trust me on this." Mavis sighed, brushing off her friends' paranoid bigotry. "I'm going to be spending a little time with one of them in a moment. His name is Abraham Grey."

"Mavis, are you seriously asking out a human male that you just met? Like….a date?!" Sergiu replied with his eyes looking ready to pop out of his head like balls.

"It's exactly what you would call a date. Don't be ridiculous." said Mavis with a dead-giveaway shade of gleaming red on her cheeks. "I just never met a human before in my life and wanted to get to know him.

"Are you crushing on him?" asked Kat slyly, crossing her arms and sending a knowing look towards her friend.

"I…..of course not!" Mavis denied.

"Well, let's just assume Mavis is right." Bertram replied to the others, coming over to Mavis's side and bringing her into an unnecessary and uncalled for embrace by putting his arm around her tightly, making her a bit uncomfortable. "And that no human in the castle wants to hurt us. Let's let her be her. She's our friend. Mav, find out any information you can about this human so we can strike him where it hurts the most."

He whispered the last part into her ear as secretly as he could, but he wasn't too good at keep his so-called "whispering" to a minimum and everyone could easily hear him. Mavis rolled her eyes in annoyance and wrestled herself free from his grip on her, brushing her dress down.

"For God's sake, Bertram. I know a sadistic killer when I see one. And when I looked into his eyes, I could tell right away that he has no killer instinct nor the intend. I also couldn't sense any garlic, silver, wooden stakes or any other weapons on him." Mavis explained to all her friends as strictly as possible. "Besides, what could go wrong?"

* * *

While on the floor where their rooms were, Abe happened upon the open door leading into Chris and Casey's quarters. Peeking inside curiously after hearing frantic shuffling, he noticed the two where packing their suitcases in a hurry. All their clothing, phone chargers, everything.

"What the hell's going on?" asked Abe.

"We're getting the fuck out of here that's what!" Casey said a bit too loudly as they packed in a hurry.

"You guys seriously unpacked all of your stuff here?" Abe asked with a raised eyebrow that they would unload their things in a place they just stumbled upon.

"We thought we were gonna be here for a couple of days, but we're skipping out now." Chris answered, zipping up his suitcase.

"But we only just got here, for shit's sake." Abe replied, trying to talk them out of it.

"Look, we thought they were joking about the paranormal beings thing before, but we're dealing with actually live fucking monsters here!" Casey shouted before he and Chris started off down the hallway towards the stairs.

Abe stood there, pondering if he should go after them and talk some sense into them, leave with them or just hang around. But before he could come to a decision, the others left their own rooms with their luggage in a frightened fashion as well, leaving down the hallway in the same direction, hoping to leave this place as quickly as possible. Abe thought back to his date with that Mavis girl and wondered how heartbroken if she found him gone. But then again, he put pieces together that because Vlad was a vampire and if she was his daughter, then she's obviously a vampire as well. And vampires drink blood of the living after all from what he's learned from Hollywood movies and television shows. What are the odds of her eventually turning on him and sucking the life out of him?

Finally, Abe decided to it would be best if he and his friends took off that same day and not waste another minute in this ancient dark castle full of monsters and psychopaths. So he darted towards his bedroom, packing all of his things in a mad rush and full-on charged down the stairs. He did not look back or stop to catch his breath, he just headed right in the direction he was sure the front entrance was located.

After minutes of dodging one dead end after another, he finally made to the castle lobby where the front doors where and wondered if his friends had already made it outside. But when he approached them, the group rushed back inside, all soggy and drenched in rainwater. Abe could see that it was still pouring out there, much to his chagrin.

"What happened?" demanded Abe.

"It's still raining out there, but there's this huge fog out there." Casey explained, panting madly like she just ran a 20-meter dash at a track meet.

"Yeah, it was insanely thick, we almost got lost in it!" cried Muhammad, passing out on the floor with Tyler.

"He ran into me a couple times." Rod pointed an accusatory finger at Jackal.

"Hey, you ran into me!" Jackal argued.

"I couldn't see a damn thing in front my face." gasped Dre. "It's like this castle won't let us leave."

"Leaving so soon?"

Abe felt a hand on his shoulder and look to see it was Vlad, standing before them all. Once they saw him, everyone yelped and gasped in both shock and fear, backing away slowly.

"Please, you all have no need to fear me." Vlad reasoned gently.

"Oh, really?" griped Claire snidely. "We don't to fear a giant, old castle full of fucking freaks and monsters like you?!"

"Madam, please…"

"What is with this fog, huh? What's the fucking deal?" Chris almost begged the Prince of Darkness himself.

"Oh, that?" Vlad lifted an eyebrow. "Well, these lands aren't ordinary, of course, and I believe it's safe to assume that it somewhat enjoys having you all here. The fog is merely a barrier, if you will. It keeps all uninvited residents out and, perhaps, after my daughter's birthday gala, only then will it allow my guests to depart these grounds."

"So…...so we're stuck here?!" Marcia cried in despair, starting to panic.

"Don't fret over this." Vlad assured most of them. "We only wish you to enjoy yourselves and make yourselves right at home."

"How do you expect us to feel comfortable in an old place like this surrounded by all these…...people?" questioned Muhammad, getting up off the floor.

"If you promise me not to bear any ill will to my guests, then I promise you that none of them will do the same to you. You are under my protection from here on out. You have my word." vowed the Vampire King.

The entire human party fell silent after this. They gave it a little thought, taking a moment to let Vlad' words sink in. Sure, they were inside of a dark and creepy medieval castle full of dangerous monsters and psychopathic killers and they were basically stuck inside the place by a mystical fog, but they had to take the vampire's word for it. It became a lesser of two evils situation and it was going to be tough surviving the next few days, but what other choice did they have? Everyone finally nodded in response and gave out muttered answers.

"A millions thanks, my friends." Vlad brought his hands together in gratitude. "One more reminder. The only blood I consume nowadays is from rats and other such vermin critters. It keeps my bloodlust subsided, so you need not any troubles over that."

After Vlad disappeared away in a swarm of bats, the group was left deep in their thoughts about their current situation at hand.

"Well, how about it?" asked Abe, breaking the ice.

"Hmm, let's see." Casey began sardonically. "Dark and spooky castle, thick, mystical fog, a collection of monsters, freaks and psychotic maniacs, a vampire guy who can turn into a bunch of bats. What are the possibilities?"

"How are we gonna get through this in one piece, anyway?" Tyler asked worriedly.

"With our luck, some dude with a knife may come by and stab us in the gut or a ghost lady made eat our souls or an evil demon may try to curse us and give us haunting hallucinations or maybe some entity or something like that may kill us in our sleep or-"

"Shut the fuck up, Jackal!" screamed Claire, protecting her ears and her sanity from any unwanted graphic details that her friend was giving in his rant.

"I'm not much of a believer myself." Chris began calmly. "But I do believe my own two eyes and the people I witnessed around this place are not people at all."

"Like that Michael Myers person?" added Tyler.

"Michael Myers? The Boogeyman? Here?" Rod replied with widened eyes. "No fuckin' way. I'm sure that dude is dead. I heard he was gunned down by the police."

"And yet, we passed by him yesterday." Muhammad remarked. "So he's clearly not dead."

"Well, dead or not, I'm not going anywhere near him. I'm not leaving this world getting knifed in the chest by some freak-fuck in a mask."

"Yes, this is an uneasy predicament, I know. But with Mavis's birthday coming along, it might be fun. Who knows? There might be cool stuff for us to do." Abe responded with his best positivity.

"Like what? Pin the tail on the jackass?" Dre asked sarcastically, earning a smack on the arm from Claire.

"You all can do whatever the fuck you want, but me and Mavis are planning to get together some time today and-"

"Wait a minute." Casey suddenly cut Abe off, taking in his words carefully. "Are you saying you got a date with Dracula's daughter?"

"Date? No. Of course not." Abe denied with an awkward laugh.

"It's definitely a date." nodded Chris knowingly at his friend's obvious reaction.

"But you just met this girl like what, yesterday, and you're already getting together with her?" asked Marcia.

"What's the problem with that?" Abe said, remaining positive that nothing bad will come of it.

"It's just that you're dating the daughter of Count Dracula, a vampire, apparently, who also happens to be a vampire as well. Who do you know she won't try to have a nibble at your neck like in the movies?" confirmed Jackal.

"First of all, it's not a date. Glad we established that. And second, you guys don't know that. She seemed nice. Not very dangerous at all." replied Abe confidently.

"Maybe she's trying to lure you into a false sense of security so that she'll drink your blood when you least expect it." explained Claire.

"You haven't even met her first. I'm telling you, it won't be that bad." Abe spoke honestly.

* * *

 **A/N: Yes, that's right. Mavis watches pornography in her spare time when she's alone. Don't judge me. So there's the new chapter. Hope it was worth the wait.**


End file.
